Steal My Thunder God
by Nauro
Summary: Naruto has always carried his father's legacy, in more ways than one. When an attempt to replicate the Fourth's greatest technique sends him to times long passed, he must take up that legacy, far more directly than he ever dreamed.
1. To Steal Your Thunder

**Steal My Thunder God**

**Prologue - ****To Steal Your Thunder**

* * *

With a quiet thump, a sharp kunai embedded itself into a branch but a hair's breadth above Konohamaru's head. The nin did not even flinch at the near miss, only adjusting his hitai-ate a little. He whistled quietly, impressed. Shifting ever so slightly, the Jounin could even feel the cold, sharp edge touching the very edge of his scalp. He had found who he was searching for. Finally.

In a single movement Konohamaru dropped out of the tree, landing in a crouch on the forest floor below. His gaze shot up to the tree tops, eyes narrowing.

"Alright, Naruto, you can show yourself," he called, trying to catch the faintest hint of orange in the bushes around him, or up in the crowns of the trees, from which the kunai had come. There was nothing, though he was quite certain that the master prankster was around. "I was looking all over for you! Where have you been?"

"Not here," said Naruto's voice from above him. "Is it urgent?"

Konohamaru spun around quickly to gaze up the very tree he leaned against - the kunai that had so very nearly scalped him had just turned into a bored-looking Naruto who was currently hanging upside-down, legs wrapped around one of the lower branches. He was lightly swinging back and forth, dressed in his usual comfortable black and orange, with his hair fanned around his head rather funnily, as he had let it grow out a bit longer than usual. He did not wear a vest to indicate any sort of rank, since the whisker marks on his face were enough to confirm his identity.

"The boss is in the middle of training not far ahead," the clone said helpfully. "You're getting rusty looking over those kids, Konohamaru, if you can't feel his chakra from here. Did you come for a spar or something?" The playfulness in Naruto's voice made him seem a couple of years younger than he really was, and the amused smile was as bright as ever.

"You're not going to ever grow up, are you?" Konohamaru asked, laughing. "I'm content with my abilities, you don't need to run me through the loops again. Not today."

Naruto pouted.

"I could bring the kids, if you promise to go easy on them," Konohamaru said. "They could use the experience for the Chuunin exams. Those exams are part of the reason I went to find you, actually."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. Konohamaru waited patiently. "The exams - they're this week in Konoha," the clone said as he swung his whole body back, released the branch, did a backflip in mid air, and landed gracefully before the Jounin. "Baa-chan wants me to take part, doesn't she?"

Konohamaru paused. "Not exactly. Could I tell this directly to the _real _you, though? It's just... _strange _to talk to a copy all the time."

"It's not like there is a _difference_," the clone responded, shrugging. "Fine, fine, head towards the cursing, then." He grinned as he disappeared into a puff of smoke.

There was a loud shout and a crash followed by a bright flash of red light, and Konohamaru couldn't stifle a laugh as he heard Naruto swearing like a sailor from not too far ahead.

"Stupid clones always messing with my concentration!" Naruto was kicking at the nearest tree while muttering profanities. His surroundings were burned to the ground, crumbled and withered as if from immense heat. Naruto himself even had a couple of slight burns that were rapidly fading away, healing themselves in moments.

Konohamaru used the _Shunshin no Jutsu _to quickly reach his oldest friend, chuckling at Naruto's misfortune. "Sorry for that," he said, though he did not really mean it.

"There's a smartass idiot in every batch," Naruto said in annoyance, turning to him, the last burn marks disappearing from the face. "You've disrupted my whole concentration now, so thanks for nothing. What did baa-chan want from me this time, then?"

"She's thinking of retiring, actually," Konohamaru answered, a smile twitching at the corners of his lips. "After the Chuunin exam ends."

Naruto blinked, nodding. "It was going to happen someday, I suppose. Who's going to be the Hokage, then?"

Konohamaru snickered. "Think about it, Naruto."

"You?" The blond man showed his tongue. "Aren't you a little short to be a Hokage?"

The younger Jounin frowned unhappily. "Guess again."

"Kakashi, then? He already got passed over once, with all the commotion back then. Gai-sensei was inconsolable after it turned out he had arranged a special suit for the occasion and he ever got to wear it..."

"God no!" Konohamaru exclaimed, shuddering. "You're making this entirely too difficult, you know. Who is the son of a Kage again? Who is a hero of the Fourth Shinobi War?"

"Gaara is the Kazekage, silly," Naruto said dryly. "Besides, can you even be a Kage of two different villages? That sounds like cheating to me."

Konohamaru was all but pulling his hair out of frustration. "You!" he shouted at Naruto. "She wants _you _to be the Hokage!"

"I know," Naruto said calmly.

"_What_?!"

Naruto smiled thinly. "I talked with her a couple of minutes ago. Well, a clone did, really. Baa-chan and I have been going over this for a while now. She figured I needed to know everything about leading a village before she made it official." He smiled. "You know, back when she first offered me lessons, I thought it was only so she could save her some paperwork by letting me slave away with my clones, but I guess I finally passed her mission, huh?"

Konohamaru crossed his arms. "You had to ruin my good news? I spent the last _hour _searching you throughout the training grounds!"

"I can play surprised, if you want me to." Naruto grinned, then, his eyes widened suddenly, and he clamped a hand over his mouth. "Me, the _Hokage_?! Konohamaru, do you understand just what this _means_?!" He flashed the tongue again. "I won our race! I am going to be the best Hokage in the history of - ever! Believe it!"

"Thank you for that," the Jounin said with a groan, rubbing his forehead. "You are a true friend."

"_Rival_," Naruto whispered conspiratorially, glancing around and bringing a finger to his mouth, hushing him. "The word you wanted to use was _'rival'_."

"Yes, of course, how silly of me," Konohamaru waved him away. "Why don't we go celebrate your new position? I thought you'd like to visit Ichiraku's together, now that you can still go there without getting mobbed. I figured you'd be hungry, too."

"Maybe later," Naruto said, and smirked as Konohamaru widened his eyes at the refusal of ramen. "I'm busy, you see. Today, I'm going to finally use _that _technique." Naruto said it proudly. "The _Hiraishin_!"

Konohamaru looked suddenly bored. "You were saying that a year ago."

"No, I swear, this time I really got it," Naruto exclaimed, nodding eagerly. "I managed to decipher _everything _this time, I know it. It's too simple, really. I was spending so much attention on the space aspect that I forgot about _time _entirely."

"Mhm..." Konohamaru raised an eyebrow. "Which means...?"

"See, it's like this," Naruto put his hands together, then moved them outwards until there was a small distance between them. "Imagine that this is a road from here to Ichiraku's. Now, if you have to body flicker there..." For show, he made a small puff of smoke appear around his left hand, and he moved it quickly towards his right. "That saves a lot of time, but you still have to move through all the territory in between."

He moved the left hand back where it had been. "Now, if I had to use the _Hiraishin_, it works differently." Naruto summoned a clone right in front of him, mirroring his pose, so that their opposite hands were nearly touching. "It's more like I have to manipulate the distance, to bring the target closer." The clone wiggled the left hand's fingers and patted the right hand of the true Naruto. "In a sense, I wouldn't have moved more than a single step, but I will have crossed the whole distance anyway."

"I don't see how that helps you." Konohamaru frowned, rubbing his chin. "You mentioned something like this before."

Naruto nodded. "Ah, now here's a funny - and hardest part." He nodded to his clone, who got back in position. "I always kept forgetting time, that's why it didn't work. You see, I have to arrive just _before _I leave. You can't exist identically in two places at once, I can't even imagine what would happen if you managed it, and the future doesn't exist yet, that's obvious. So that leaves only one option."

The Naruto that was speaking disappeared in a puff of smoke, and the one Konohamaru had pegged as the clone smiled and waved with his left hand. "In essence, it's like using a body switch with a clone before you even begin the technique. The slight time difference between the arrival and the departure is undetectable, since it's so short, but it's necessary."

"And how do you go about doing all that?" Konohamaru asked. "The switching part, I mean?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "It has to do with the structure of the seal itself. It took _years _to figure out, you know." He pointed at a tree that was a couple of meters away, where a three-pronged kunai with a seal tied around the handle was embedded into the thick oaken wood. "The seal helps you find a destination you are going to travel to. If it is drawn correctly, it's not actually there at any given moment, even when it may _look_like it's there. It's sort of drawn to be forever delayed in time, rather than in the present. That's why I can't just jump there; I need to find a closest point in the past to use. But..."

"But?"

"Every time I try, there's some sort of resistance to it. I am trying to push through with ever increasing amount of chakra, but it's already getting to ridiculous levels. There's no way the Fourth used this much. To top it all off, the jutsu is disorienting, it's like I need to be in two places at once, and I feel like I'm everywhere and nowhere, and it is trying to tear me apart."

"And the burning thing?" Konohamaru pointed around them, to the singed earth. "How did that happen?"

Naruto shrugged. "Oh, that's just Kurama's chakra. I don't have enough concentration to try and search for the connection with the seal _and _simultaneously keep the chakra at safe levels. I mean, I probably _could_, but it would make the technique twice as hard, at the very least, and I can work on efficiency when I have the basics down. It is not like it actually does me any lasting harm."

Konohamaru nodded slowly. "Say, Naruto," he said, thinking. "You said that you feel a tearing apart - and the jutsu is supposed to move every single bit of you and everything you are carrying on yourself? Do I have that right?"

"Yeah?" Naruto looked hopeful. "Any brilliant ideas?"

"You said that you can't be in the two places at the same time earlier - but you are trying to? How many clones do you have running around right now, exactly?"

"A bunch. What does that have-" Naruto stopped mid sentence, eyes wide. "Oh - _oh_, you're a genius!" There was a loud echo of popping sounds all around the training ground, as a multitude of clones dispelled themselves. Naruto winced as he rubbed the side of his head. "Man, half of them decided to slack off on training..."

"It figures that _you_would forget you're using a highly draining technique," Konohamaru observed with a smile, shaking his head. "Maybe if you're just you, it won't be such an issue to get this down. If this works, you owe me a lesson with the kids, understood?"

Naruto nodded, smiling. "Well, let's see then. You might want to step back a little, just in case." Naruto closed his eyes, and chakra began exuding from his pores, plainly visible power swirling around him. "This is going to be awesome! Believe it!"

Konohamaru hurried to clear away; when Naruto gave a warning like that, any sane shinobi would duck and cover like their life depended on it, because it probably did. Naruto did not do things by half.

There was a rush of chakra building up, and vicious tendrils of the Kyuubi's chakra lashed out at everything around the jinchuuriki, shredding skin and earth like paper, uncontrolled. To think that was only a slight remnant of the actual chakra being channeled, the true amount had to be gargantuan.

"_Hiraishin no Jutsu!" _Naruto exclaimed with a hoarse voice, and he vanished in an orange flash.

* * *

The chapter has been edited by Morta's Priest. Expect the full first chapter in a matter of hours.


	2. To Seal a God

**Steal My Thunder God**

**Chapter I - To Seal a God**

* * *

Naruto was unsure of where he was, and in terrible pain. He felt like he had landed into water in the midst of a spin, and it was already burning at his lungs - and then, he realized it was no water, and he did not have the slightest idea which way is _up_. It hurt, though, and Naruto was desperately trying to get out of wherever he was, to right himself, but he had lost sight of the seal, of everything. He felt lost, gone in the nothingness surrounding him, utterly alone. Pain and desperation were his old friends, but it was one thing to be in pain, and an entirely different experience to exist in a world where there was _nothing _but the agony itself, crashing through him like tidal waves.

Nothing else mattered, nothing else existed. Naruto was starting to lose any semblance of conscious thought, and almost slipped away, but then he suddenly found it. A _connection_. Something that was both near and far from him, yet resonated inside of him, familiar. There was a seal there - one he had lost before and had found again.

He latched onto that chance, and in his desperation he held tight, dragging himself to his target. The world washed into being around him as he slammed into something big and hairy, and there was a thunderous rumble. The pain in his body intensified even more, and he let out a scream. It felt like an unstoppable force was trying to tear him apart, to wrest something out of him. It took him only moments to connect the dots. _Kurama._

Naruto saw a swimming mess of colours before his eyes, heard a loud, angry roaring that was deafening him, and his sense of smell was overwhelmed by the ferrous arome of drying blood and wet fur. The world was there, but it was veiled by the agony of his arrival - something had gone terribly wrong.

The force tearing the Kyuubi out of him was too strong to fight. It was an impossible struggle; even while trying to preserve a hair's breadth of chakra, he couldn't help but lose more and more of it, rushing across his feeble resistance. It was like trying to stop a landslide with his bare hands.

He could feel the distinct hum of strange fuuinjutsu; that could not have been anything good. With his senses still in disarray, he could only guess at their intended function, or even their user. The chakra that was released pulsed powerfully at the edge of his senses, eerily familiar. Could it be some sort of barrier, to prevent his escape, perhaps?

For an irrational moment, Naruto's thoughts wandered to the Akatsuki - to their attempt at stealing all the Tailed Beasts, and use them as weapons of war. Had someone taken over their mantle at last, when peace was finally within reach? Had he been ensnared for the same terrible purpose as Gaara had been?

Kurama bellowed something incoherent inside his mind, and even as Naruto tried to hold his companion inside with the best he could muster, the chakra was slipping away. His attempts to respond failed quickly; there was no talking with the bundle of confusion and pain that scratched at the bars of it one-time prison.

The energies of Kyuubi no Youko enveloped him with a yellow glow, sending the chakra into him in a waterfall of power. Kurama was scared, Naruto realised, scared of something so much that it couldn't help but frighten the jinchuuriki too.

Just where had he ended up? Naruto ground his teeth and tried to move, but he seemed to be stuck, tied to a growling gigantic creature with some kind of chakra bonds - the Kyuubi. But not the same Bijuu that he felt leaking away - glowing silver chains held him and the _other _Kyuubi locked in place. How could it be that he still felt Kurama inside him, yet it was out here, almost free? Was this how much of the nine tailed beast he had already lost?

Naruto shifted as he brought all the power he could muster to bear, snapping the silver bonds with a surge of fury, sending a thousand ripples down the chains. The links were snapping everywhere around him, washing the field with a cascading sound of thousands of tinkling bells. The silver chakra shattered and fell apart in the heavy rain.

Freed of his bonds, Naruto started falling, and at that very moment he felt the incredible draining sensation increase tenfold - Kurama's chakra layer was peeled off suddenly, leaving only singed skin beneath. His face and stomach had taken the worst from the vicious chakra, charred skin tearing with the smallest movement, blood pouring from the wounds. Naruto howled from the pain, but he refused to give in. He tried to twist mid air, but he could not manage it, and fell heavily onto his side. There was a snap as one or more bones in his left arm broke. With all the pain his body was going through anyway, it seemed more like a minor inconvenience than a true injury.

"Kurama?!" Naruto called then, desperate. "What is going on? Where are we?"

The huge Bijuu shook itself, throwing off all the bits and pieces of the chain away like a dog shakes away the rain. Then, still growling, it gave Naruto a questioning glance, jaws wide open, showing a display of sharp teeth as it drew in a heavy breath of air.

It seemed that Kurama was pretty confused; it even showed some signs of inner struggle, and Naruto had no idea if that was going to work in his favour. At least the Bijuu wasn't actively trying to kill him. Yet.

"What did you do?!" A man's panicked voice shouted from a small distance away. "It's going to escape!"

Naruto turned on his heel to face the new arrival, and froze in his tracks. _Impossible_.

It was a like looking in a mirror, save for the lack of whiskers - the man before him had blond hair like his own, its length easily matching Naruto's, the bright strands standing out without any distinguishable pattern. Their builds were very similar too, and the way they had moved into a ready position had been synchronous to the smallest second. If their clothes had matched, he was sure that no one could tell the difference without careful examination.

Naruto was clad in his usual black and orange, chest shining through the handful of burns in his jumper, and the cloth was painted with red blood - his own blood. The man across from him wore something dark blue and green, and it could have been a modified Johnin uniform, but for one glaring difference. A distinctive white coat hung over everything else, billowing in the wind, making red flamelike highlights at the outer edge jump in and out of sight. Even though Naruto could not see it, he knew that on the back, there were Kanji claiming that the man in question was none other than the Fourth Hokage. His father.

Oh, _crap._

The look they spared each other was short, but Naruto took that moment to take in his father's face, which he had doubted he would ever see again beyond the carving in the mountain. He looked young, yet already experienced, at the very prime of his life. His shock was matched by the surprise shining on his father's face. But there was something off about it; something dark shone in Namikaze Minato's eyes, too. Mistrust, anger, fear and desperation - they were filled with darkness.

"_Edo Tensei,_" Naruto said to himself, struck by the horrified realization - what else could it be? He put his hands in a clone seal before he really thought about it further - his left arm still hurt, but was already mending; not all the Kyuubi's power had left him yet. He bit his lip in worry as he reasoned that trying to speak with Kurama and beating down a perversion of his father's image could prove nearly impossible in his rapidly weakening state. He had to act quickly, before he lost all the chakra he had left.

"Don't come any closer!" he exclaimed, hoping that Minato would listen to him - the impure resurrection allowed the victims a measure of will and control, after all. "_Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_" A tide of orange, black and red arose around him on the battlefield - many hundreds of clones, some perched on the Kyuubi itself, even. Kurama couldn't have looked more surprised, and neither could the Fourth.

"Such power - you must work for _that _man," Minato said, anger rising in his voice. "What are you? Some sort of doppelganger, using genjutsu?" The man did not wait for an answer, throwing a spread of kunai in a wide arc towards the vast army of clones, shouting his next words loudly, so they would carry further. "Kushina, take care of Naruto!"

Naruto faltered at the yell, and it felt like his blood froze. _Kushina? _They had resurrected her, too? No, that did not make sense - nor the reference to himself, at that. Suddenly, nothing made sense. At that moment, memories flooded into his mind; a clone's memories of an exhausted woman that was somewhere behind the Fourth. She was covering a small baby with her body, standing weakly on trembling feet, yet with an expression of unmatched determination. There were loose ends of chains hanging from her back, slowly decaying into nothingness; the very chakra chains _he _had snapped.

It was at that moment of complete shock, when his clones started to fall. Breaking free of whatever confusion had grasped it before, Kurama sprang into action - its gigantic jaws closed on a dozen clones, tearing them to pieces until they popped, and it howled in fury. Those that had climbed onto the fox's back were the first to die, and it took only moments before the other clones reacted, retaliating for the slaughter.

The Kyuubi's short hesitation at the coordinated response played to the clone army's favour, as their sheer numbers quickly overwhelmed it, darting between the legs, hiding behind the ears, and trying to cause as much confusion as possible. With Naruto, of course, the potential for chaos was enormous. Kurama screamed out of rage when one brave clone started pulling at its whiskers, as dozens tackled its legs and forced it down.

While the clones took care of keeping the fox busy, Naruto focused on possibly an even greater threat - the Fourth Hokage reaped through the field of Narutos like a god of war, with two of his three-pronged kunai flashing so quickly that there was barely enough time for a warning before he was gone again. He seemed to be anywhere and everywhere, slaughtering by the dozens. This was the man who had once killed most of an army by his lonesome, and it showed.

As soon as Naruto realized that his father could appear before him at any moment, and would be as merciless as he was to the clones, he knew he had to try and defend himself. He was good, incredibly so - even Gai had praised Naruto's recent improvements in taijutsu training - but his father was bordering on ridiculous, sometimes called the best shinobi the Leaf had ever produced. He father easily evaded any of the hits that his clones attempted to deliver, and his kunai were dealing deadly blows, and he had not even used his _Rasengan_ yet. The only things that could stop someone like that were the strongest jutsu that Naruto knew, but he was afraid to use some of those, knowing their destructive potential. A _Rasenshuriken _might have ended things - but would more than likely kill if it made contact.

"Stop!" A clone shouted in a panic as the Fourth appeared right next to him, and his eyes widened at the flashing kunai. "We don't need to-" He disappeared in a puff of smoke as the metal pierced his throat.

His father continued his relentless assault, deaf to the continued pleads of Naruto's clones, and Naruto tried to figure out a way to end this, to at least force a conversation. It seemed that the Fourth was convinced that he was caught in some sort of genjutsu targeted against him, or something similar. Well - he would have thought the same thing in reverse, Naruto realized. But - if his hypothesis was right, and it seemed ever more likely - even if it was still insane - then this was neither genjutsu nor _Edo Tensei._

Kurama howled in rage as it headed towards the remnants of the barrier, shrugging off the chains and clones that kept it down. It was a slow process, since the creature seemed to be confused, and it took its time to eat stray clones along the way, biting at them with a fevered look in its eyes. Naruto summoned a few hundred more clones - to the astonishment of the Fourth - and sent them over to help out his failing hordes. He was getting awfully acquainted with how it felt to be eaten by a monstrous Bijuu, Naruto realized with a shudder. So far, the best result of calling the fox Kurama, had been it taking extra care to eat the clones in question. It was as if - it had no idea who he was.

Naruto's clones had found the barrier not far from their current battleground. It was something that the Fourth had to have prepared in advance - the very same fuuinjutsu he felt going up moments after his arrival. It was strong enough to hold the Kyuubi back for a couple of minutes, or even withstand an impact of a single Bijuu Bomb. It would not be enough for a prolonged assault, however, and the fox would break through.

Even more interesting than the barrier was the few clones reporting pillars of smoke rising from the distance, where he saw the contour of familiar mountains. Naruto was sure just where exactly he was - on one of the outer training grounds of Konoha - even though there were some differences with the one he remembered.

This was no _Edo Tensei_ - it was something entirely different. Naruto shuddered in realization and he felt a pang of fear; could all this be the result of using _Hiraishin _with Kyuubi's chakra? His father was here, and his mother, and the unleashed Kyuubi - and Konoha was burning. This could not be a coincidence. His use of his father's signature skill had to have launched with him into the past - and that explained Kurama's silence. Kurama was chakra itself, and it already existed in this time and place - only one of the two would prevail, and his own came here weakened, drained of its chakra. Whatever struggle went on between his own fox and the free one - he feared that he knew who was winning.

Naruto grit his teeth as he focused on the battlefield, ready for his best attempt at dodging the very jutsu that had landed here. If he could not convince his father to stop attacking, or force the Kyuubi back, he would run out of chakra within minutes, both his own and that of the fox. That had never happened to him, and there was a pretty good chance that he would die. Out of desperation, he forced a couple of clones to jump to safer places, hide and remain still, gathering chakra in case he would desperately need it. Whether or not he would die here - he could not destroy history.

As he considered the vanishing of his own Kurama, Naruto's eyes widened. He turned to the only person inside the barrier that could help him, the one person who had experienced the very same only hours before. He appeared before his mother by himself, with his hands stretched to the sides, open palms towards her. It was a way to show he held no weapons, wilfully opening himself to attack.

Kushina looked so tired, so worn out, that Naruto's first instinct had been to close the short distance and hug her. But he couldn't do that, Naruto reminded himself, since she might well stab him in that moment, expecting him to be an enemy. So he held back, slowly sinking to the floor besides her.

"Mom," he muttered without giving it much thought.

Kushina faltered, and her hands dropped. She had been preparing some sort of jutsu when she saw his eyes, and heard his trembling voice. Her harsh expression wavered and she did a double take. "You -"

Naruto nodded slowly.

"Naruto? You look - so much like him. Like Minato." She glanced back at the little child she held in her arms, then stared back at the adult Naruto's face - and collapsed to her knees with a sob. "You're - How? How is this possible?"

Behind them, a clone managed to catch the Fourth by emerging from the ground, and he was followed by a dozen others; some managed to catch the Hokage by the hem of his cloak, trying to restrict the movements as much as possible, hoping that one could live long enough to deliver a message. However, the Yellow Flash proved far too fast, and too merciless. He swerved, evading the piling Naruto's clones, drew out another kunai and-

He saw Naruto crouched right next to Kushina. This time, the _Hiraishin _was even faster than before, leaving only the white cloak under a huge pile of Naruto clones. The Kyuubi stepped on them all, popping them like a large balloon, and it snarled in anger as hundreds more still clung to it, preventing its escape.

The Fourth Hokage appeared at Kushina's side soundlessly and with his three-pronged kunai already slashing at Naruto's throat with the speed of lightning.

"_No, Minato_!" Kushina shouted, and her arm flashed out to catch her husband's.

The blade glanced Naruto's neck, freezing but a briefest moment before tearing it apart, and it drew but a trickle of blood. Naruto was afraid to breathe - he felt the edge very clearly, the cold steel staying perfectly still.

"This is the real you," Minato said, rage shining in his eyes. "Why should I spare-"

"Minato!" Kushina cried out, clasping her hand around his wrist. "Look. _Look. _This is _Naruto_!"

The rage which had held a firm hold on Minato since this strange new arrival had torn the Kyuubi out of the Kushina's bonds finally receded. He looked again at Naruto, his eyes narrowing as he took in the similarities and differences, glancing down at the little child in Kushina's arms. "Prove it, he said. He drew back the kunai, doubt and concern ringing in his voice.

Kurama's monstrous laughter broke through the momentary silence, tearing up hordes of Naruto clones as it broke free of the last few chains of chakra that still remained, and Kushina slumped. It would be mere minutes before he broke through Minato's barrier as well.

Naruto glanced at the battle, realizing the short time he had, and raised a hand up, forming a perfect sphere of the _Rasengan_, a swirling whirlpool of blue chakra.

Minato blinked, jaws slackening, and he nodded in recognition. Then he stepped forward, and enveloped Naruto in a desperate hug.

"Hey! Watch the _Rasengan_!" Naruto managed to dismiss the attack at the very last second, and sagged into the hug, relieved. It took him only a moment to realize that Minato was laughing under his breath, and he reared back to stare at his son, now an adult.

"How?" Minato asked then, as Kushina took her own turn in hugging Naruto, the tinier version of him clinging to her side, crying. The hug was considerably weaker than his father's, since Kushina was moving only due to her iron will.

"I've used _Hiraishin_," Naruto explained quickly. "I... think I might have used a bit too much chakra."

"You look like you're my age - how on earth did you get _that _much-" Minato clicked his tongue once, eyes lighting up in recognition. "I sealed Kyuubi into you, didn't I? You used its chakra for the jutsu. That would do it."

Naruto nodded in confirmation. "But... something went wrong, obviously. Whatever happened, it did something to my seal. Kurama - it's like he's being torn from me." As if on cue, Kyuubi roared, growing a little, and Naruto almost fell down, his legs wobbling. "See?" he muttered weakly.

"That's how it's been getting stronger!" Minato said, grimacing. "I can't seal him if he's moving around like that, and can you imagine what Kyuubi could do with twice its usual chakra?"

"Do we even need to seal him?" Naruto asked urgently. "Kurama and I have - had an understanding, if you will. If he would just listen to me..." He took a heavy breath and summoned nearly a hundred more clones to rush back towards the Kyuubi. The jutsu took a heavy toll this time, and Naruto almost collapsed from the strain, taking a few painful breaths before he worked himself back up. "He just isn't listening. It's like he's gone mad!"

"You want to talk to that thing?" Kushina asked. "Are you sure it is possible for you to reason with him? When I spoke to it..." Kushina shuddered. "I can't imagine you made a deal with a creature like this, did you?"

"No," Naruto admitted finally, just as the memories of a clone being bitten in half returned. "Kurama... he was hateful, but it was getting better. I - we were a jinchuuriki and a Biju, sharing a body. It was - not bad."

"Whether or not it can be reasoned with, it's clearly not in any state for it now," Minato observed. "Sealing this - Kurama is our only chance, right now. We're too exhausted to even look for any other solutions. Since you managed to learn to get along with him, what is it to say that it cannot happen again, given enough time? If that ever happens, the seal could be opened." Minato sighed. "Although, I need Kyuubi to be still for a few seconds to seal him, and that's getting harder. I won't have a second chance. Kushina - can you call the chains again?"

Kushina shook her head weakly. "No - not even if I used all I have left. I am not sure I even could make the chakra chains stick anymore - I'm out of juice." She shook. "Maybe you should just risk it with a moving Kyuubi? It's better than nothing...?"

The Kyuubi slammed three clones to the ground right then, before they even finished the first phase of the _Rasenshuriken_. Another three had to flee to the different sides before getting crushed too. It was looking increasingly hopeless, now that reinforcements were no longer coming.

"There's no need. There is _one _thing that has worked for me in the past," Naruto said as he stood up straighter. "It might give you a good chance to use the _Shiki Fuujin_ - but, please, let _me _be the one to use it. I know all the hand seals I need to, and with you two alive..."

"_No_," Minato echoed together with Kushina. He reached out and grasped Naruto's shoulder, staring into his son's eyes. "I always knew that you would be meant for great things - Jiraiya-sensei was convinced of it, too - and the sacrifice you are offering is a proof of how fantastic you are. But you won't die today, Naruto. I would not be worth _anything _if I allowed you to take my place in this. It is a father's duty to care for their children, isn't it?"

"I... I understand," Naruto nodded, looking down at the ground. "A Hokage has to care for their village and their family first, right, not his own life. I wish there was another way. I wish I could get to know you..."

"As you say, it is my duty. We can't have the Kyuubi wreaking havoc everywhere. You probably know what happened to Konoha. That could happen anywhere." He paused, narrowing his eyes. "Do you know of the masked man?"

Naruto nodded glumly.

"Then you know why I do this. We can't kill the Kyuubi, so the only way is to hide him, seal him once again - because we will need that power in the future. The village will need it again. I can tell from your expression that you realize this too."

Naruto sighed, and focused - the clones he had sent out before had enough time to gathering the necessary amount of natural energy for his last strategy. Minato smiled at his son when he saw the distinct Sage eyes forming; toadlike, they shone strangely in the night, the skin darkening around them with dark pigmentation.

"You're a Toad Sage," Minato said with visible pride and astonishment. "Like Jiraiya. You're his student too?"

"Yup. And it's not quite like the Pervert Sage's. It's better," Naruto croaked an answer, and he smiled weakly. "Be ready when I leave an opening! I'm going to tear that fox a new one! Believe it!" He dashed forward, calling up a few clones as he went.

All the remaining clones gathered between the barrier and Kurama, each and every one of them raising a hand in the air, pouring the last remnants of Kyuubi's chakra and mixing it up with natural energy. Multiple _Rasengans _flickered to life. And they were rapidly growing bigger and brighter. The horde leaped forward, shouting - "_Senpou: Choodama Rasen Tarengan._"

The Kyuubi jumped back from the attack, seemingly realizing its enormous power, but it was not fast enough to evade the storm. The seemingly endless barrage of Rasengans enchanted with Sage chakra was devastating in its effectiveness as a gigantic explosion of chakra blew in all directions, the shock wave rippling through the air. Kurama was thrown back, its huge bulk rolling over a few times and smashing against the mountainside. The unstoppable force of the explosions leveled trees and shredded deep trenches in the ground, sending wood and earth in every direction. It even managed to wound the fox - patches of fur went flying towards the sky, deep wounds were visible for a few moments before they closed over again. The Kyuubi lay there for a few moments, utterly dazed.

Minato rushed through his seal array - the fox was confused, but in no way subdued for long. As the dust settled, he finally completed his jutsu. "_Shiki Fujin,"_he said as a final note, summoning the spectre of the death god to hover just above him in its shadowy presence; he alone could see the monstrous creature. Pale and grotesque, the Shinigami looked over everything with the calmness of death, patiently awaiting an order.

"I will seal our chakra in little Naruto - so we will see him again, someday. It is worth it." Minato said as he looked down on his wife. "He is our true son. And you _saw _what he can do now!"

Kushina nodded weakly, smiling slightly.

"_Seal_!" Minato demanded sharply, pointing at the Kyuubi amidst the dust clouds. The ghostly hand of the death god soared forward from his stomach, catching the fox and slowly dragging in its soul out of the great body.

Minato growled as the technique tore out a part of the tailed beast for the Shinigami to devour. There was no hope of sealing the whole Kyuubi, especially not with the energy of the _other _Kyuubi strengthening it. The death god feasted upon that part of the Bijuu's energy, and Minato winced as the surge of chakra passed through him, knowing that he would soon follow it.

Naruto was trying to catch his breath, and failing; he had just used a very costly jutsu, and it left him on the very edge of his consciousness. At least the pain from losing Kurama had finally subsided - and all of it was gone now, as he couldn't feel a single sliver of the great Bijuu inside. He was no longer a jinchuuriki. He supposed he knew what Gaara felt like, now.

He was alone, leaning against the half-destroyed trunk of a huge tree, and he knew that he could not even make a single Shadow Clone now. Dust was everywhere, but he could hear shouting from behind the barrier.

Naruto paid that distraction no heed, since he could not let any second go to waste. Kyuubi was slowly getting up, and that meant bad news. Naruto tried to stand up as well, but his legs were wobbling too much, so he ended up falling onto his face. Surprisingly, instead of getting his face full of dirt, he ended up landing on top of something soft and - white?

Naruto wasted some precious seconds trying to remember just when his father had lost his cloak, and why he was on top of it. A clone had to have picked it up while fighting Kurama, but after that one had popped in the last attack, it was left unattended. With a shiver, Naruto realized that he was cold - and why. The Kyuubi's chakra had washed over him like a tide - he survived only because he had learned to cope with it for years. His clothes had not been lucky, and only scraps of them remained.

Naruto quickly threw the cloak over his back, and pulled on the sleeves, closing it on the front; it was that or running around half-naked. The Rasengan barrage had proven a drop more deadly outside the mindscape, since he had never really used it outside his fight with the Kyuubi when first taking its chakra. His surroundings were a wasteland.

Focusing once more on his fluctuating chakra levels and his tired muscles, Naruto forced himself to stand up, panting loudly at even that small action. He saw the Kyuubi lashing out at his father in the distance, but he was too far away to do anything about it, and did not have the chakra to pull it off anyway. He had maybe a single jutsu in him - if that.

Naruto felt anger rising inside, washing over the pain, as he realized that this was the moment that his father died - and he was not there to help him out. Focusing whatever remains of chakra he had, he roared together with Kurama, and he knew with complete certainty where he wanted to be right then. "_Hiraishin no Jutsu_!"

"Minato!" Someone shouted from just behind the barrier, but Naruto was gone before he even heard it.

He appeared right next to Minato, just in time to push him away from the sweep of the Kyuubi's claws. The Fourth twisted around, a _Rasengan _appearing in his hand without any preparation time, and he slammed it forward into the flesh of the creature's paw. It bit deep into Kurama's flesh and the Bijuu recoiled.

"I still need to do the _Hakke Fuin_!" Minato shouted desperately - he seemed to be in tremendous pain. "I can barely move!"

The Kyuubi was disoriented for only a second. But, Kushina stood up with a fierce expression, and she raised her arms - and chains sprang into being once again, lashing out at the vast creature, and she almost fell down from the strain. She looked twenty years older than before as she worked herself up to her knees with immense effort. Kurama's claws were suddenly tightly bound with silvery chains, fixed to the ground, and Kushina smiled in victory. Blood flowed from her mouth. "Hurry," she whispered, almost choking.

"I can do this!" Naruto jumped before Minato. His father was simply too slow now to work the difficult jutsu - for once, the Yellow Flash was out of power himself. Naruto slammed his right hand onto the ground, and summoned forth the ceremonial sealing pedestal. "Jiraiya taught me how it works - I never thought I'd need to use it!"

Minato, with heavy and slow movements leaned forward and picked up the little Naruto, placing him on top of the altar with very slow movements. "You have to seal a part of me and Kushina too, when you do it."

"Why both of you?" Naruto asked, tears running uncontrollably down his cheeks, knowing that he was watching history unfold in all its horrible glory. "Why mom, too? _You _used the _Shiki Fujin_, but she should be able to survive!"

"I'm sorry, Naruto," Kushina croaked softly. "This last attack... there is nothing left, after this. Unless you seal it away, my chakra will all be gone when it breaks - and my life with it."

"No, no, you - _can't _die again!" Naruto sobbed. "This is the one chance I have to let you _live_! Let me give you some chakra! I don't care what happens to me - you have to _live_! For the other Naruto!"

Kyuubi roared once more, shattering some of Kushina's chains, and the backlash of his rage sent Kushina sprawling to the ground again - and she was not getting up.

Naruto was frozen in place in a moment of pure terror. He had most of Minato's chakra firmly grasped, prepared to place it into the seal together with the Kyuubi... But he couldn't seal his own mother away, could he? The sealing required to form a bond between someone's chakra and the seal - and when the seal was activated, it would drawn in every remaining bit of his parents' chakra. They would die at his hand.

"Naruto," Kushina pleaded weakly. "My life is over already_. _And don't you ever think that I would trade your life for a chance to save mine. You are my _son_."

The Kyuubi opened it jaws, snarling something unintelligible as it jumped to kill all of them in a final devastating bite.

"I'm proud of you," Minato whispered, his eyes darkening. Moving as fast as lightning, tearing through his limits in the face of death, he called a final Rasengan into his hand and leaped straight towards the Kyuubi, to meet the Bijuu head on in a final clash.

"Dad!" Naruto shouted, desperately gathering his chakra for the final push needed to seal away the Kyuubi. Its jaws closed around the Fourth Hokage, and there was a quiet explosion inside its mouth as the powerful _Rasengan _exploded inside its throat. Kurama hissed with pain, thrashing about blindly. Naruto momentarily hoped to see his father use the _Hiraishin _to come back to them, but there was but a sickening crunch that sent shivers down Naruto's spine, and his father's chakra was released, swirling around him like a haze, flowing with his own depleting reserves. His father was dying, or already dead.

"_Kuchiyose no Jutsu!_" Naruto exclaimed, managing to refocus his attention to summon Gamatora for the final part of the sealing process. For a brief moment he was lost to an incredible sense of panic, realizing that he was in the past - would the summoning contract even work? There was a loud puff of a smoke cloud as a Toad appeared before him, and he let out a sigh of relief.

"Quick!" He ordered to the confused toad, tears and sweat running down his face. "Gamatora - I need you to take the Key of the seal to Jiraiya!"

The toad obediently rolled the key scroll around himself, its eyes widening as it took in the massive form of the Kyuubi that towered over him. "Minato-sama, watch out!"

Naruto half-turned from the pedestal, and only barely realized that Kurama's claw was not heading his way, but towards the pedestal - towards his younger self, crying on the altar. Kushina tried to get in the way, raising up to a half crouch to roll over the baby. With dread, Naruto realised that it wasn't going to be enough, and he leapt between her and the approaching claw. The toad summon disappeared moments before the Kyuubi's nail pierced through Naruto and embedded itself into Kushina's back with a sickening thud.

Naruto laughed as he felt the chakra draining from around him, coughing up blood. It was over - the _Hakke Fuin _was complete. The gigantic fox cried out in protest as its chaka began to surge into its new vessel, and most of Minato's chakra followed. A last tendril remained with Naruto, and he smiled in recognition.

Kushina turned to Naruto and found his eyes. "Take care... of your _little brother._" There were many things that were left unsaid, but their eyes were locked with each other, frozen together in a moment before death - some words were not needed. "Do not blame yourself, _ever_," was her last whisper.

Then there was a great surge of power as the massive Bijuu was drawn into the seal on the little boy's abdomen, crashing into the infant like a storm. The older Naruto dropped as the claw that had run him through vanished, and he only barely managed to catch the falling body of Kushina, before losing his own footing and plummeting to the rough, harsh ground. The last of the natural energy that had kept him going was dissipating.

"So this is what chakra exhaustion feels like," he mouthed inaudibly to himself, feeling darkness creeping over his mind. "Is this how it all ends?"

There was a shape approaching quickly, and it came to a stop just beside him.

"Ojii-san," Naruto whispered as he recognised Sarutobi - the nin looked quite old, even here in the past. The surprised face of the Third Hokage made Naruto chuckle a little, and he coughed up blood. _I'm Naruto from the future, _was something he wanted to say, but all he managed was to hug Kushina closer and saying his name. "Na- ru... to..."

"Your son is safe," was the last thing he heard, coupled with a child's cry. The comforting softness of his father's cloak kept him warm as his consciousness slipped away from him.

He knew no more.

* * *

Next updates depend on the mood, weather, time of the year, and Morta's Priest nagging.


	3. The God of Shinobi

**Steal My Thunder God**

**Chapter II - The God of Shinobi**

* * *

Bandages - they were everywhere. Naruto felt like a mummy swaddled in linen, with white fabric crisscrossing over his face, his forehead, and tickling at his neck. His breaths were short as he realized his chest was restrained as well by tightly-wound bandages, his hands tied up so tightly that he could not even wiggle his fingers.

He let out a weak whimper of pain as his slightest movement sent a spike of agony down his spine - when he tried to get some idea of where he was, his eyes refused to open, lids heavy like never before. Forcing them with an effort of will, fighting his body all the way, only sent a wave of fresh pain along with the blinding flash of momentary sight. He did not have to be a genius to figure out that he'd gotten into serious trouble.

He was probably in Konoha's hospital, Naruto mused to himself - it was not the first time he had ended up here, and probably not the last either. If he had still been outside, there would have been a lot more sounds reaching him, which meant someone had to have retrieved him from whatever foolish stunt he'd gotten into now - for once, he had apparently gotten hurt. There was only a cold, deep silence, and the painful pulse of his own heart, and neither was helping.

_How did I end up injured?_

Everything was hazy, his last nightmares still playing in his head, distorted images returning to him - there had been a battle, one that he had seen often in his worst dreams. A battle in which he saw his parents die, unable to change things, falling to the power of Kurama. As so often, the berserk beast had skewered him when he was trying to save his mother... It had to have been a dream. Delirium, feverish hallucinations.

But... how had he gotten hurt? His mind wandered back to the previous day, to Konohamaru. That squirt - though not anymore, really - was growing up far too quickly for his liking. Right - he had been on his way to meet with old lady Tsunade, and he had been looking forward to it, for once. He was hoping to show off his newest technique, an S-rank that only one other person had ever known - the _Hiraishin_.

Then... pain. Had he messed up that technique? The conclusion that he had somehow managed to hurt himself in his attempt, right in front of Konohamaru or Tsunade's eyes, was a disquieting one. He shuddered at the thought, resolving that he would get out of this bed soon, and tell his one-time student and rival that everything was fine. He never needed much time to bounce back, anyway.

Naruto tried opening his eyes again, cringing from the stabbing pain, hoping to move something, anything. Briefly, he worried that he might have left some things behind in his foolish attempt to brute-force the _Hiraishin_. He imagined a disturbing image of Konohamaru staring at a severed leg, still spurting a pool of blood, while the rest of him was somewhere else. His lungs laboured and protested against his quick, panicked breaths and he focused his attention away from such horror scenarios. After a few long minutes of panic, he felt that one of his toes moved, brushing against soft fabric. _Good _- he still had at least one leg, then, that was something. He could still become the fastest hopping shinobi, if that was all he had left.

The silence was eating him up, especially the emptiness that it brought with itself, and Naruto's thoughts went inward, to the vague ache in his stomach, which was doubtlessly as bandaged as the rest of him. Yet he scarcely cared for the skin - but what lay locked beneath it.

_Kurama?_ No answer came. He called to his companion a few times more, but his voice did not reach the caged creature that had become almost like a friend - or at least, he did not answer. Naruto found only a swirling void within, his thoughts sounding muffled even to himself. He was wounded; there was a good chance that Kurama had exhausted himself by keeping him alive. His injuries felt like they were extensive, and the fact that his accelerated healing had not patched him up yet was worrying...

He froze in thought as he considered his nightmare, and the strange emptiness that was pervasive, now, as if a perpetual noise had suddenly been silenced. He could barely feel more than hints of Kurama's chakra in his veins - they had never felt this clear, this unpolluted, with only his own chakra flowing freely. It was as if the fox was gone. Instead, when he reached that place deep within where the seal was supposed to be, there was a swirling touch of something _else_. Something that felt like trust, and pride, and consolation. He recognized that feeling, even if he knew it was impossible.

_Father?_

No answer came to him, and he sighed. He felt only a trace, a distant, wayward spark of chakra, a remnant of intent and action. Perhaps a last breath, living on inside of him. It was as if that part of his father which had once appeared to him to close his seal, that fragment of the Fourth Hokage, had returned to the seal. Yet - that chakra had been exhausted, vanishing into nothingness. How could it be back?

Unless - he remembered his nightmare, those last moments of horror and the raging Kyuubi. Kurama, torn from the seal by force, devoured by the far greater creature that towered above all, free from a jinchuuriki. He remembered himself, standing up to it, using his last strength to seal it away, to force it into a new host.

_But that could not have happened. It was a dream, wasn't it? _Naruto tried to cry out, but all that emerged was a weak gurgle that turned into a coughing fit. Had it really happened? Had he sealed away Kurama - as well as what remained of his parents? Had they died _again? _He focused on the seal, and he called out for something, anything, from that bit of his father - some sign that he was alive, that he had cheated death. That Naruto had not failed to save his parents in the one chance he had to do so.

His body convulsed uncontrollably as a torrent of emotion tore through him, and he twitched as his eyes tore open in twilight. He wrestled through the pain, glad that he could see the ceiling now, that he could get some sense of reality. Even the dim light that suffused the room burned in his eyes, but he ignored the painful sensation, taking in his surroundings. He coughed, spitting out a mixture of blood and slime, but his moment of disgust was interrupted; a tall figure appeared in the room, its chakra tightly controlled. The shape moved into view, though it looked more like a shadow than a real person, and it cocked its head to the side rather like a bird would. Instead of a normal face, there was only a strange mask. For an irrational moment, Naruto imagined it was Tobi, gloating, and he hissed in fear, or hate, he could not tell.

It took him a good few seconds to realize that he was instead looking at one of Konoha's ANBU, a specialist shinobi. His mask looked like a - _rat? _Naruto could not remember if he ever saw the Rat mask in use. Before he could manage to croak out anything, the ANBU spoke instead.

"Try not to move, sir. Your injuries are severe," Rat said in a quiet whisper, though even that sound seemed to echo in Naruto's head, clashing painfully with the silence. He gave a very small bow. "I will inform Sarutobi-sama that you have awoken. Please - rest."

However much Naruto tried to hold on to the image of the rat-masked nin, his exhaustion prevented it, and his body betrayed him when his heavy eyelids closed again, and the room slipped away. Hanging on to the very edge of consciousness, Naruto could just barely feel someone working medical Jutsu on him, the warmth of foreign chakra easing his pain and lulling him into deeper sleep. He imagined that Sakura had reached him, and the vaguest of smiles flickered across his face before pain and darkness robbed it away.

It might have been hours or even days until he came to once more, though he suspected it was on the shorter end, as he could feel that the bandages on his face had not been changed, still soaked with sweat and blood. There was no other way to tell time, not with the constant waves of oblivion and emptiness crashing over him. There were no windows in the room either, which was dimly lit at present, probably to spare his eyes. The pain was not as bad as before, and his eyes roved through the room again, pausing on little shelves with scrolls, small bottles filled with pills, and a single three-pronged kunai.

Somewhere nearby, a child was crying. That was what had woken him up, and he turned very slowly towards the sound.

"You're awake once more." It was a careful statement from the nearby darkness, spoken with some hesitance. Spoken by an old, familiar voice from the distant past. Naruto felt tears work their way into the corners of his eyes as he realized what that might mean. "I was beginning to fear that the fever would keep you. How do you feel?" the Third Hokage asked kindly.

"W-" Naruto tried, croaking. "W-Water," he wheezed out to the darkened room - his throat felt like the desert of Suna, dry and unforgiving. He clenched his teeth at the thought that the first thing he said to the old man - back from the dead - was something as banal as such a request.

When water touched his parched lips, Naruto tried to raise his hand to the small bowl out of pure instinct, and pain shot through his arm, though he forced his way past it - he had felt far worse in the past. It was like trying to tear off a thousand chains to move, yet he managed to move his hand. Slowly, carefully, he met the offered bowl midway and helped it to his lips, raising the head as much as he could. Perhaps it was a banal request - but right now, he did not care.

The small stream water washed over his lips like ambrosia, the ever-sweet wine of the gods. It was like a dream come true, a fresh taste of life, and it just wasn't enough. Too good to be true, too pure to be drunk with reservation. Naruto tilted the small bowl even more. _More. _He had barely realized just what state his throat was in - had he been screaming? - and though the cold water hurt, it felt good - cleansing.

The water flowed onto his face, down his chin, onto the pillow. His bandages got wet and soaked, freeing the scent of dried blood. It made him shiver with relief, and he hoped that the cool touch would never end. It still wasn't _enough _to douse the flames that seemed to sear his throat, but much of the roughness faded.

"M-More?" He asked, trying to focus his gaze, his eyes wandering to meet the Third's. The Third - the thought returned in full force. Could it really be that he was speaking to the man whose funeral he had attended? His grandfather in everything but name moved back from the bed, and Naruto lost him in the gloom. He faded into the darkness as well as any Nara could.

There was still a child crying, somewhere in the room. _Why was a child unattended? _He tried to twist his head, to pierce the darkness of the room, but the movement hurt, sending a shiver down his skin. Yet, with patience and deliberation, he _could _move. That was a good sign. All his parts seemed to be where they were supposed to be - if completely covered in bloodied bandages.

Suddenly the small light of a candle flickered to life in the room, casting thousands of shadows everywhere. It was the only light in the midst of the darkness. There was no child in the direction of the high-pitched cries - he had been tricked by the strange echoes of the small, enclosed room, and he wondered how intentional that misdirection really was - he could see that level of paranoia among some of the medical-nin. The Third Hokage stared down at him; his silhouette was without his usual triangular hat, and Naruto felt slightly puzzled by that, but the somewhat short if imposing image was unmistakable. _Maybe..._He dismissed the thought - it wouldn't do him good to guess without anything to stand on. Empty guesses were pointless, Kakashi had told him once. Of course, that might have been about the plot of the next Icha Icha issue, but the principle was sound.

_What do I know?_ Someone that had to be the Third Hokage was currently pouring a new bowl of water for him, looking quite comfortable in the darkness, tending to his little candle that flickered merrily. It didn't feel like anyone else was in the room, beside the little child, and that was strange. Where were the ANBU, ever-present guardians? Outside the door, maybe?

The child was still crying, and Naruto had to turn completely to see him, secluded in the far corner of the room. Wet hair and fabric stuck to the back of his neck as he raised himself a little, an uncomfortable feeling. There it was, then. A small crib, in which a tiny child was fidgeting, crying about something that might have been pain, hunger, or a recent nightmare. Who could tell with children?

A chilling realization travelled down Naruto's spine as he saw the delicate tuft of bright blond hair above pudgy cheeks, each of which was marked with three small lines, like scars. Whiskers, almost. The ghostly shadows of the candle played over those familiar features, and he could not help but be amazed. It was _him_, he realized. The child was him, a little _Naruto_.

The nightmare was _real_.

He let out a pitiful sob as his mind raced back to his arrival, to that moment he had stood beside his father, his _living_ father, and helped him complete the ritual that robbed his life away. Little Naruto had been there, his younger self - and here he was now. A fresh jinchuuriki, created by his own hand.

It did not make sense that the boy was here. There was a separate wing for little children in Konoha's hospital, and Naruto was certain the Third would have placed the tyke in the safest part of it, knowing what he carried within him. Yet, here he was in one of the enclosed wings of the hospital, with him. This place was, judging from the lack of windows, reserved for injured guests or prisoners. With shinobi it was usually a mixture of the two, he supposed. It was certainly not meant for children, though.

"Please, help yourself." Sarutobi offered another small bowl of water. The old man's eyes flashed to the child, and then back to him, and Naruto could practically sense the gears turning. The Third was not trying to show it, but he was clearly paying a great deal of attention to the little crying child, even as his eyes peered seemingly through Naruto. His gaze was not hostile - intrigued maybe - or contemplative, scheming. He could believe all of those.

Naruto pointed weakly at the baby - at himself. "Could you... help?"

Sarutobi offered his cup with water again. Naruto frowned slightly as he ignored the gesture, however parched his throat still felt. This was uncharacteristic of the old man, and he tried to sit up to give himself some air, so he could actually speak. It did not help much. "Give... here," he whispered indicating the water. The words were slow, and his tongue felt like it had not been used in ages. This was probably the longest time he had ever stayed in a hospital, and that was only judging only from the way how raspy his voice was. If Kurama had still been there, he would have long since recovered, he was certain. But - he was not. For the first time in his life, he was only human. "...Go help."

The task of sitting up proved nearly impossible, since the worst pain was in his chest, where Kurama's vicious claw had pierced him. He suddenly found himself breathing so shortly he was unable to find any strength in himself, and he simply sagged in place; just as he thought of that wound it rebelled, as if reacting to him, and icy pain tore through his side. The Third took pity and Naruto felt fit hands helping him up, ushering him into a more comfortable position. It was only then that he realized that though the Third was old - it seemed like he had always been that - he was more than ten years younger than the man he remembered best.

In the candlelight it was impossible to understand just _what _was going in Sarutobi's head as he stood there with a perfectly expressionless face. His eyes were the darkest shadows, though little lights twinkled within, betraying the darkness his candle seemed to shine brighter than the sun; Naruto's eyes just would not adjust, and he sighed.

He managed to move a trembling hand enough to take the water and drink

a few more gulps. "What about little _Naruto_?" was his first full question, as he listened to the cries of his younger counterpart. "Why are you taking care of _me, _when... _he _is crying?"

Sarutobi nodded faintly, and moved towards the crib with measured steps. Naruto caught the calming singsong whispers the Third used to soothe the child. It felt eerie familiar; he could almost imagine himself as a little boy, listening to a song like this, sitting in the old man's lap as he did his paperwork with a small smile. That might have even happened, he mused - yet he had probably been too little to truly remember. The method of soothing worked, too - little Naruto quieted down and started to listen to the Third, moving easily with the rhythm, calming down by the second. Slowly the boy's eyes slid closed.

Naruto struggled with his water, forcing his other hand up to join in an attempt to get a little more leverage, though it was nearly hopeless. It was like holding a heavy weight, or performing an incredible feat of strength, since his muscles felt like rubber. And this was just a tiny bowl of water - he could not even imagine walking right now - he was utterly harmless.

He drank once more, slower, more carefully than before, patient. This time, he didn't spill a single drop. This time, it would have been a waste. It took him some time to empty it, but at least now he did not feel like his throat would give out any second. It still ached, but Naruto could live with an ache, if he had to.

Trying to put the bowl on the nearby cabinet proved too hard on his muscles, and it slipped and fell on the floor with a soft clatter. Catching the small wooden thing would have proved too painful, he was sure, so he didn't even bother trying.

The old man, having calmed the little boy with the lullaby, turned back around, and picked up the bowl, meeting Naruto's eyes. The gaze lingered, assessing Naruto's physical state. He was doing exactly same as Naruto - watching and waiting. Naruto tried to be as patient as possible frantically thinking. The village probably believed he was a spy - at least the Hokage would. That explained his presence in the secure wing, and the careful nature of the Third's movements. What else would someone think about a complete stranger, appearing in the middle of a disaster like the attack of the Kyuubi?

It hit him, then, what he had done. The three-pronged kunai on the far end of the room was still there - he could see the light of the candle flickering on its razor sharp edges. The Hiraishin. He had used his father's technique, but it had done something it shouldn't have. Something that seemed impossible. Instead of travelling to the kunai that was so very nearby - in viewing distance - something had pulled him off course, had tossed him on a bumpy and painful ride, through space and time to the start of everything.

And he had ended up here. Here, at the Kyuubi attack, at the last moments of his father's life, the only other person who had mastered it. He was in the past - and a theory had begun to form on why. There was an aspect of time manipulation in the seal of the Hiraishin _- _supposedly for mere milliseconds, just barely enough to make the technique work. Not days, or weeks, and certainly not years. Yet - he had done just that. Broken through the limits.

Kurama. That was the only explanation. The Tailed Beast's chakra had been surging in his veins, mixing with his own as he let it run wild, his concentration on the new technique. The chakra was harmless to him, as he had long since gotten used to it, but he had not considered what it could do to a jutsu like this. His father had not been a jinchuuriki - he had only ever used his own chakra for this technique. Yet - Naruto had poured in his own considerably supply, and in his failure to reach his intended destination, had used that which was he could grasp to extend the time available to him. The incredibly potent, impossibly unpredictable power of the Nine-Tails.

He was lucky he had not appeared above the dinner table of the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara, all things considered.

Yet - Kurama was gone. Drained from Naruto's use of the Hiraishin technique, the creature of living chakra had suddenly entered a reality in which he already existed - and unlike physical beings, the Tailed Beast had no defense against the paradox of existing more than once. He had no clever time-travel trickery to get around that issue - thus the stronger one, the Kyuubi that attacked Konoha - had gobbled him up, absorbed the future Kurama straight through the seal.

Naruto grimaced as his wandering thoughts focused back on the Third, leaving the predicament aside for a moment in favour of more immediate issues. A younger Third, freshly robbed of his successor, would certainly soon retake his seat. He was the so-called God of Shinobi, and probably the strongest shinobi since the First, according to most. What would this man with the information he could give? What would a Kage, fresh out of a war and the most devastating attack on the village in living memory, do with the key to the future?

_How do I explain who I am? _Naruto considered the question for a moment, wondering if he could go by his experiences at all - he had never really known the Third as a Kage - only as a grandfatherly figure. The first time in his memory that the man had gone all out had been when he died. Telling the truth was his best bet, he supposed, but he had no idea how the old man would react. Could he even lie to the Third's face if he wanted to?

Naruto took a deep breath, feeling the emptiness in his stomach make way for an uneasy queasiness. _Here goes nothing... _He opened his mouth, pausing in indecision, taking only a shuddering breath. He thought frantically of something unimportant to ask, so he could win himself a couple of seconds - either that, or blurt out everything he knew at once, to get it over with. Sarutobi, noticing his hesitation, spoke first.

"The seal was applied successfully, as you might wish to know," Sarutobi began, glancing at the child by his side with a caring expression that sent a shiver down Naruto's back. The littler Naruto was contentedly sleeping in his crib, unaware of the tense stand-off. "To summon the Shinigami and lock the weakened creature's chakra away - an admirable and self-sacrificial plan. I can see clearly that the seal is based on Kushina's, but it is far more complex - what is its purpose?"

Naruto frowned, and he narrowed his eyes. "Another test?" he muttered under his breath, meeting the Third's eyes. He fidgeted slightly in place when the old man met his gaze with an intensity that stole his breath away. He could not move away, not in the state he was in, but there was no mistaking the awesome power that the Third was deliberately showing him, at least in part. In the light of the flickering candle, the Third smiled, his eyes gleaming with interest.

"That seal is not meant to keep the Kyuubi locked away forever." Naruto sighed, and the lack of surprise in the Third's eyes convinced him that the man had already known. He could see the tenseness in the old man's frame, though, and he knew that he had better answer - or face the 'God of Shinobi' while completely incapable of even getting up. "The Bijuu are not inherently evil - they are more of a force of nature. A volcano that erupts in the middle of a village doesn't want to destroy it from some kind of misunderstood anger. Yet, all we humans have ever done for the Bijuu is to seal them in living people, to try and silence them, so it is natural to expect resistance. Their power, though - it will be needed."

The Third let out a surprised murmur, but did not offer any protest.

"The _Hakke no Fuuin Shiki_ is not a prison. It is a _gate_. A locked gate, but one that could be opened with the right key. When the Kyuubi understands what it means to exist inside a Jinchuuriki - and I know that that will happen since the seal doesn't prohibit him from watching what is going on outside - it's going to become something more than a beast. If I am somehow wrong, though..." Naruto shifted a bit in his bed, pain in his chest intensifying, but he ignored it. "The seal is designed to allow drops of chakra to leak through, slowly robbing the Fox of its power, so that it will not be easily released. It would take years of coexistence for that to bear fruit, though."

_Coexistence_. Naruto shivered as he thought of that panicked moment when the Nine-tails had been torn away. He hoped that a remnant of his Kurama continued on, in the little child. It would not be _right_, otherwise.

"It is an almost impossible responsibility to bear, being a Jinchuuriki," Naruto whispered, realizing that one constant in all his years as a shinobi was now gone, ripped away forcefully, _eaten_. Kurama, in the end, had been a part of him. If not a friend, then a true companion - a Bijuu that just happened to share his body and life. And now, there was nothing - for him, at least. "In the end, it might be for the better..."

"For whom?" Sarutobi retained his impassive stance, yet inside, Naruto could tell he was quickly making connections and dismissing theories one after another, disturbingly quick as all geniuses were. "For Naruto, or for Konoha?" he asked.

"How can you even ask that?" Naruto spluttered then, somewhat confused as to the shift in topic. "Konoha _always _came first for me."

The Third glowered, and his eyes pinned Naruto down. "Is that why you let Kushina use her clan technique, knowing it would kill her? Is that why you didn't use the _Shiki Fuujin_ yourself - so that you could live, for Konoha?"

"What?" Naruto felt anger rising inside of him, though it seemed lacking - there was only a remnant of the rage he was capable off when fighting together with Kurama - still, he was furious, and he clenched his fists, even as jolts of agony travelled through his heavily bandaged fingers. At least one wound tore open and start bleeding again, the warm blood waking him up from his stupor. He hissed the next words louder than before, the memories of that terrible fight at the forefront of his mind.. "I never wanted _them _to die, old man! She - mom should have lived - but she was so headstrong, and dad... I should have been the one to use _that _technique, not him! Then I could have had a father - like it should have been to begin with. I never wished for anything like _this_ - I lost _everything, _again!"

The little child twitched in his sleep, the loud exclamations stirring him nearly to wakefulness. Naruto glanced to him, a chill running down his spine as he realized what it meant that little Naruto was there. It was a sheer miracle, but the child didn't wake up, and Naruto turned back to the Sarutobi, not calmer by any stretch of the word, but perhaps a little more - centered. For a short moment, The Third Hokage smiled in the shadows, like he had just won a difficult shogi match against a Nara, though the expression vanished so quickly that Naruto wondered if he had really seen it.

"What is your game, _Ojii-san_?" Naruto asked at last, with some measure of calm, still fuming on the inside as he felt blood trickling down his hand and onto the white sheets of his bed. "I don't understand what you're getting at - why is the first thing you ask about that damned seal?"

The Third raised an eyebrow. "Tell me - when you sealed away the Kyuubi, you were already wounded, correct?" He ignored Naruto's anger, though was visibly intrigued by his way of address. "I saw the demon chakra flowing through you, coursing through your wounds. It did the same to many in the village, and all but a precious few died from it, rotting away from its corrupting influence, its poison."

"That only happens if you don't know how to negate its effects," Naruto grunted more than said. "I do know, obviously. Don't insult my intelligence, even if I'm not a genius - you clearly know enough to dare put me in the same room with the kid." He glanced over. "You've probably got me covered with more chakra suppression seals than I can count, so just spit it out. I can't stop you."

"How do you know the seal will hold?" The Third asked, ignoring the demand.

"Of course I know it will work, because I've seen it do so." Naruto tried to cross his arms, staining the sheets even more, but he had to give up halfway - his arms just refused to move properly. He settled for a glare. "Look, you're clearly trying to lure me into some sort of verbal trap, and I get enough of that from Shikamaru - skip the middle part and get to the end."

For a moment, he thought he saw Sarutobi smile again, though his eyes remained hard. "The attack has affected many, and the Kyuubi's chakra is corrosive not only to the body, but to the mind. When we found you - you were covered in blood, and the vile chakra ate at you, even as your body expelled it. Most of those who did not die from exposure to that chakra are in the hospital too - the mental ward."

Naruto felt like he would be sick. "They went mad?"

"Delusional - murderous and indiscriminate about their targets. Most are civilians - they do not pose much of a threat. You can imagine that it is a different story with shinobi." The Third sighed. "I am afraid that it will be some weeks before your body recovers from what happened. You will retain scars, I believe, even with the best treatments by the very best people we have." He paused, for a long while. "Before me move on, we must settle something. You are not Minato, are you?"

Naruto blinked in confusion. "Of course not, what are you-" He shook his head slightly. "I get it. You think I'm nuts too, don't you? But why would you..." He looked at his bandaged form in dismay, realizing that between his shaggy blond hair and his blue eyes, he did look a lot like his father - they were even about the same age, too, crazy as that was. He'd been wearing the cloak, too - and holding a three-pronged kunai. "Ah. Yeah - I can see why you would... But you can do tests or something to check, right?"

Naruto tried to glimpse what Sarutobi was thinking as the man looked on impassively. He had spent enough time with the old Hokage to have some idea of what he was like, but he could not be sure. Yet - the thought that the old man would honestly confuse him with his father - it didn't seem likely. If he did, though - he would need to stifle that in the bud, right now.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and grimaced. "You've got it all backwards. Minato - my dad - is _dead_. I saw him die myself. I felt the last of his chakra leaving him when he used his final moments to tear out the Kyuubi's chakra, sealing some part of it in the Death God. I'm not _him _- and I'm not sure how you can mistake us, we're kind of different. I suppose I look too much like a mummy to tell physically, but that shouldn't matter..."

He paused and glanced again at the little child, who was content with sleeping in, unaware of how much crazy stuff was waiting for him, later in life. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I'm not Minato - I'm his son."

He winced as he dragged himself forcefully further upright, aware that something tore on his back - stitches ripping the skin apart under the stress. "I used the _Hiraishin _- I was the second person ever, as far as I know - and as you probably know, that's a _time _and space jutsu. I overloaded it with Kyuubi's chakra by accident; the place that I came out, where I was finally able to get a grip, was here and _now_. I am the boy in that crib. I am from the future!"

Sarutobi nodded, and this time he definitely smiled. It wasn't a friendly smile, as it reminded Naruto more of a vicious predator, rather than his _Ojii-san_. The old man crossed his arms. "Very well. Prove it."

* * *

Only a few hours earlier, a student met his teacher behind closed doors in the Hokage's Tower, part of which had been flattened in the Kyuubi's attack. A handful of trusted ANBU were standing guard outside the building, even as fires raged in isolated parts of it, and they did not allow anyone within hearing distance, just in case anyone tried anything funny while the village was hurting. Matters of Konoha's future were under discussion, and there was no such thing as too much security.

Jiraiya of the Sannin stood by the crumbling remains of the western wing, and shook his head in dismay. He had been out of the village when the attack occurred, as he was chasing down interesting tidbits in neighbouring countries. It was not until a day or two later, when word of mouth crossed the borders, that he realized what had happened, and he had hurried home as quickly as he could. He had cursed his decision not to summon any of his toads while undercover, realizing that he would have known far sooner - it was too late now.

Iwa was as wary of Konoha as ever, and when they first spoke of the possibility that their old enemy - one that so roundly defeated them in the Third Shinobi World War - had been weakened or even destroyed, Jiraiya had put it down to the usual exaggerations that happened with rumours like that. Claims that the village was a smoking crater or burning like a candle were obviously overblown, but a pattern quickly emerged. Disaster.

The Yellow Flash was dead, some claimed. Others spoke of his injuries, of being carried from the battlefield with only a bloodied cloak wrapped around him, bleeding his life out. The rumours were spread with a certain amount of glee among the people of Iwa, considering the massacres that Minato had been responsible for among their forces in the war - but Jiraiya had forced himself to ignore it, and to make his way to the border with as much speed as he could without being spotted as a spy.

The toads had filled him in by the time he reached Konoha's walls - Gamatora had shown him the Key to a seal, though he was less than coherent about the circumstances in which he had received it, and a worrying possibility occurred to Jiraiya. The key was certainly for a very complicated seal - strong enough to lock something powerful away, something huge. Like a Tailed Beast - like the Kyuubi. The total silence from Konoha - either from his old sensei or his student - only made things seem more dire.

Setting aside his own worries for the moment, he thought of repercussions to the international relations that he had been sent to monitor. The rumour of Minato's death alone would send a strong message to all of Konoha's enemies, declaring weakness. Although he had been a Kage for only a relatively short time, Minato's reputation was legendary, and Iwa in particular was terrified of facing him on the battlefield, refusing even to come too close to the border. With him dead or wounded, they might decide that now's the time to take what they wanted. On top of that, there was _Kyuubi no Youko_ to consider. A Tailed Beast did not just vanish - and Jiraiya had a sinking feeling that he knew what had happened to it. Released from Kushina's seal, surely killing her, the only way to get rid of it would be to place it somewhere new - and he suspected that's what the key was for. It was for the seal of a new Jinchuuriki.

Sarutobi seemed quite surprised when Jiraiya appeared before him in the ruins of his ruined tower, exhausted and sleepy, though with boundless determination clear on his face. Without any delay, the two nin had adjourned to Minato's office, which had survived the worst of the Kyuubi's assault.

"I came as quickly as I could," Jiraiya said. "The Nine-Tails - I can scarcely believe it!" He shook his head. "How? How did it escape from the seal? I checked it only a month or two ago - Kushina was in good shape!"

The Third sighed. "A good question - I do not know the answer," he replied, folding his hands together as he sat down at the desk, in the chair that had been his for decades, though it had recently become Minato's domain. "We can assume that whoever released the creature knew where it was kept, and when the seal would be at its very weakest."

"Childbirth."

Sarutobi nodded slowly. "Kushina was in a safe and secluded place, well outside the village, just in case something should go wrong. Minato was there. Although it is uncertain what exactly happened then, we know that the creature was brought here, perhaps summoned from afar, after it was torn away from its host. Kushina survived, for a time - Uzumaki longevity, I'm sure - but it took her life to get it placed into a new vessel before it could destroy everything."

"She is dead, then." Jiraiya sighed. "It took her life - _Shiki Fuujin?_" he asked, although he was sure he knew the answer. "And Minato was the one to seal it away?"

The Third nodded slightly, though it was a hesitant gesture. He sighed. "I don't know."

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. "Alright - what's that about? What's going on?"

"Naruto became the new Jinchuuriki, that is a fact," Sarutobi answered at last. "Their son, newly born, was tasked with the same tradition that has passed down the Uzumaki lineage since Konoha's beginnings. I suppose it is fitting, though it is a heavy burden to bear." He frowned. "There is something strange about all this, Jiraiya. Not only the seal, which is far more complex than I expected, but a certain person..."

There was a silence for a little time as Sarutobi gazed out of his window - cracked and wobbly - before he turned and shook his head. "I know I should focus on other things, but I cannot let matters go. The village is weakened, both in defensive strength and in morale, by the destruction that was brought upon it - your presence will help a little, and I have sent a messenger to find Tsunade as well. We will need all that we can muster to weather this storm."

"It looks even worse than I imagined," Jiraiya commented when he finally sat down across from Sarutobi. "The fox did quite a number on the village - hundreds are dead."

And it was true - Konoha was devastated, soot still clogging the air, even a full week after the Kyuubi attack. Wildfires burned throughout the depths of the forest, and buildings slowly crumbled to the ground, torn from their foundations. The surrounding woods had new clearings that had been torn up by huge claws, the very landscape redesigned with an application of fathomless violence. The outer wall was still there, at least in part, but large breaches needed to be filled, and the Uchiha police forces were working overtime just to introduce a small measure of control into the chaos. It did not help that many of their number had died in the fight to drive the creature from the village.

The physical damage was insubstantial compared to the amount of death that was in the air, the clear sense of hopelessness that had caught everyone in the wake of the tragedy, when the scale of mayhem became clear. In one vicious slash of fate, Konoha had lost most of its powerful Shinobi, and many more were still struggling with their life in the hospital, perhaps never to fight again. Madness was all too common, inspired by the Kyuubi's noxious chakra or not, and more than one shinobi had been put down by sheer necessity as they tore into innocent villagers, imagining them to be terrible demons.

"It will take years for Konoha to return to its former state," Sarutobi said softly, looking weary and old. "I'm sure that surrounding nations are already watching us with anticipation, preparing to step in if our weakness becomes too overt to ignore."

"Unfortunately, that's true." Jiraiya nodded tiredly. "Ohnoki the Fence-Sitter would have acted already if he wasn't afraid that the Kazekage might strike him in the back if he tried anything. Talk in the streets of Iwagakure is that the Kazekage believes Ohnoki might die soon and wants to use the most of the opportunity." Jiraiya took a short drink of sake, savouring the taste as he wondered how long it would be before he could truly enjoy it again - right now he would rather drown himself in the stuff. "Ohnoki is _furious_, but that probably means he's too busy to actually invade us. He went as far as to claim that he's not going to appoint a successor anytime soon, which suggests that we're an afterthought. He could change his mind, however."

"That 'talk' you mentioned," the Third said contemplatively, his eyes gleaming for a short moment. "Was it, by any chance, started at one of Iwa's bathhouses?"

"They do have good baths." Jiraiya allowed himself a short, wavering smile. "Iwa's uncertainty should give us space for maneuvering. Though, we should not delay too much. The Tsuchikage might come here personally, if he thinks that he has anything to gain by it - and if he sees this downtrodden village, he certainly would not hesitate to barge in."

The Third nodded slowly, and Jiraiya shook his head. "Alright, enough about the damn politics - I've put this off long enough. Lay it on me, then. Kushina is - dead, Naruto is born and cursed to be a Jinchuuriki. What became of Minato?"

Sarutobi sighed.

Jiraiya winced. "Dead, then?"

"Maybe." Sarutobi fingered his pipe slowly. "When the Kyuubi was free and rending apart the village, Minato and Kushina locked themselves away with it, behind protective barriers, far outside the walls where its fury could not tear up the villagers any further. Their chains and space-time barrier blocked me; I had no chance to break through quickly enough to help. When the creature was sealed away, all those techniques were destroyed - the barriers came down, and I made my way in. There, I found... someone."

Jiraiya frowned uncertainly. "Someone?"

The third nodded wearily. "Little Naruto survived - and one other person. Initially I took him to be Minato - he was bleeding out, and the Kyuubi's chakra had seared him all across his body, so there was little I could do but make sure that not all was lost; that the child would have a father. I took him back here, convinced that he was my successor - but something was off. It became clear to me when I helped with cleaning his wounds, since even now there are precious few medical-nin available, with so many working to save those who were hurt in the attack."

Jiraiya blinked. "If he's not Minato, then who is this person?"

"I don't know," the Third admitted, and he shrugged helplessly. "He has Minato's blond hair, his eyes, and he was wearing his cloak... I feared that he might be Minato, tainted by the Kyuubi, doomed to insanity like so many others - but when I reached him, he was awake for a few moments, only calling for Naruto." He poured himself a drink as he shivered. "Yet - there were too many little things that do not fit. I don't think he's Minato, after all. Which begs the question - who is he? An intruder? Perhaps the one who released the Tailed Beast in the first place? But that does not fit, since he seems to have completed the ritual that made little Naruto a Jinchuuriki, greatly endangering himself in the process. What traitor would unleash the creature, only to reseal it into a newborn that he would know would be heavily guarded? Much less with the last of his chakra?"

Jiraiya paced through the room. "You have not been able to ask questions yet, I take it. These sounds like the half-formed hypotheses of someone who has not been getting enough sleep." He sent a warning look to his old sensei. "Has this person woken up yet?"

"No," Sarutobi answered softly. "If that didn't present us enough of a puzzle, it seems he might not even live to talk about what he did - his condition has been critical for the entire week, and is slow in improving. If he meant to do something terrible, he had a strange way of going about it."

Jiraiya hummed under his breath, concerned. "Why do you believe he is someone else, then? Physical changes?"

The Third nodded. "He seems different. I'm sure you would be able to notice it too - there's something that doesn't quite fit - maybe in the shape of his jaw and the slightly different slant of his eyes, or the proportions - the same type of differences that you would use to distinguish a poor _Henge _from the real person. I used an older photo for comparison, not trusting my memory, and there are more of these little details - too many not to be noticed under scrutiny. And the whiskers - they completely baffle me. They look much the same that _Naruto _has, in fact."

"Without seeing him myself, I cannot be certain." Jiraiya shrugged. "He used the _Hakke no Fuuin Shiki,_ I gather? It might be the cause of that last feature, although I would not stake my life on it. It seems somewhat plausible, though."

"How so?" Sarutobi downed his sake in a quick gulp, without taking pleasure in it - he merely desired to deaden his nerves for a while, lest he collapse from his schedule, which barely contained any sleeping hours at all. He would not admit to it, but Jiraiya was perceptive as always.

"Bijuu chakra works in seemingly chaotic patterns," Jiraiya started his explanation, frowning darkly. "Minato and I spent some time discussing that particular theoretical aspect a couple of years ago, as an intellectual challenge. It is not unheard of for a Jinchuuriki to obtain some physical features reminiscent of the Bijuu, if exposed to the channeled chakra. There are several examples of it throughout history."

"An accident, then?"

Jiraiya did not respond immediately, rubbing his chin. "Not necessarily. The theory would allow for a deliberate attempt, though I would not know why anyone should desire these features. With the way this seal works, as far as I can tell, it forces the Kyuubi's chakra down both bodies - the one using the seal serving as a conduit for the energy pouring into the Jinchuuriki. It should not have been enough to induce physical changes, since the human body gives away under the strain long before then. Yet, Minato could have found a way for outlasting that terrible chakra - he was always a genius when it came to chakra manipulation. I would not put it past him that he figured out a way to protect itself from the corrupting influence."

"There is something else. A strange chakra signature." Sarutobi took out a small piece of paper from his pocket and slid it across the table. "I had it examined by one of the medical-nin that I swore to silence, but he could make neither heads nor tails of the results of the analysis. I could only make educated guesses. Maybe you could shed some light?"

Jiraiya glanced over the contents of the paper quickly, tracing the sketched graphs with narrowed eyes as his mind jumped to huge lists of obscure numbers that he had learned like the back of his hand, decades ago. Two of the lines were very familiar. "A trace of Bijuu chakra, which was to be expected. There's some that partially matches the pattern of Naruto as it was when I last checked - though it's always difficult to measure in the unborn, so that's debatable. In any case, since Naruto is a Jinchuuriki now, all bets are off. There's also a strange mixture of Minato's own chakra, and Kushina's -" The sanin blinked. "I had no idea _that _could happen. Remarkable!"

"I hypothesize that this person might have received it when she died via the _Shiki Fuujin. _The chakra might have latched onto something familiar," the Third supplied, when Jiraiya didn't continue. "Kushina's body is only a shell now; not even a trace of leftover chakra."

"Maybe," Jiraiya allowed. "I can't claim to understand the whole thing, but I have the key to the seal from Minato... It's really complicated fuuinjutsu work. I'm going to need to take a look at his kid to be sure, and it might take me more than a couple of days to decipher it fully - but the main difference is in the way of sealing. The key suggests that it is on an entirely different level than the usual Uzumaki seals - Minato improved it, retaining only the base of Kushina's sealing techniques. Judging by what I've seen, this seal should even allow the Bijuu some awareness, and possibly release chakra into its host."

The Third shivered. "For what purpose?"

Jiraiya smiled thinly. "Hah - Minato always did surprise me with new ideas - maybe there's something more to it that we can't even begin to guess. But I'm sure it will be a solid piece of work - if something happens, I have the key, so I'll be able to tighten or loosen it up a bit. Minato would never just endanger the village."

"If it _was _Minato that made the seal," Sarutobi said, looking worriedly at Jiraiya. "If I am right, and we have an impostor in Minato's place, what then? I witnessed the final part of the sealing, after Kushina's shield fell, and there was no chance a switch could have happened at _that _time - the person I retrieved is the one who sealed away the fox. If he is someone else, what would that mean? What dangers could be hidden in the seal, placed as it was by a stranger?"

Jiraiya frowned, weighing the possibility seriously. "Whoever this person is, Minato or not, he must have used a Toad summon to bring the Key to me - and that must have been one of the last parts of the sealing process. Did you notice Gamatora at all?"

"I did see a summon retreating," Sarutobi agreed. "I think it was a toad, but we cannot take that for a fact."

"It is supposed to be impossible to trick a summoning contract," Jiraiya said. "I could ask Bunta, but I doubt that any of his folk would show up to a stranger - and I've got the summoning contract." He paused for a long time. "Assuming that we are dealing with an impostor - a very good one - you will assign secret observation, I imagine?"

"No." Sarutobi smirked at his student. "Minato was always too good not to notice ANBU following him, and any pretender would know that. No - I would ask you to take up a position as his tag-along, at least for now. The real Minato would appreciate the support, I'm sure, and you are certainly someone who could deduce if my disturbing suspicions are correct."

"Why do I feel that it is not going to be as easy as it sounds?" Jiraiya frowned. "Are you going to be taking the hat, until we are completely sure it's Minato?"

There was a loud knock on the door.

"Come on in," Sarutobi called, a brief warning glance sent Jiraiya's way. "Did something happen?"

"Sarutobi-sama, Jiraiya-sama." The ANBU with a rat mask bowed slightly. "I come from the hospital. Hokage-sama woke up."

* * *

After Roarian was done with editing I kinda recognise just where is the stuff I wrote. Mostly. Anyway, more updates should follow, if Roarian continues to nag me to write more, but no promises on any sort of timetable.


	4. A God In The Seal

**Steal My Thunder God**

**Chapter III - A God In The Seal**

* * *

Prove it...? Naruto nervously scratched his head as he stared at the Third Hokage; it hurt a bit since even with all the bandages in the way, his delicate skin could not take much abuse yet. Kurama's remarkable healing had vanished right alongside his chakra, it seemed. He did not care much for the aches and pains, though, as it was not really his body that was under strain. In truth, Naruto was engaging in the most difficult mental exercises he had yet attempted since his jaunt into the past.

He was trying to remember something _useful_.

_How do I prove I´m from the future...? _His mind raced as he tried to reason out what he could use, and he felt the skeptical gaze of the Third boring into him - but it turned out to be a lot more complicated than he assumed. _Maybe I could use something about the Uchiha clan - no._ He shook his head with a sigh.

"Right - all the Uchiha would be alive," he muttered under his breath. Most of what he remembered from the past had happened after the Kyuubi attack - years from this particular present - and even if he knew things about the attack, _everyone _would know them in this time. It was so damn frustrating!He groaned, fidgeting rather uncomfortably in the hospital bed. The conversation had already drained him, and the few bleeding wounds that had torn in process were getting annoying, sapping his strength.

He glanced up, biting his lip in annoyance. "Do you have any idea how difficult this is?! I've never..." _ Wait! Maybe Orochimaru. When did he leave Konoha again? Before the attack or after? Was there something about hidden labs? _"Bah!"

"Take your time," Sarutobi interjected, shattering Naruto's thought process as his attention was diverted. The voice in which it was said, though mild in tone, implied anything _but _limitless time. The Third was getting impatient.

Naruto grumbled in agitation. "Right - Um, I know some things about my father..." He smiled briefly, then his expression wavered again. _They probably know more about him than I do._ "...but everyone knows about him. No, wait - wait, I got it this time. Honest."

There was a pause, and the Third just stared with that impenetrable gaze. Cold, almost - quite unlike what Naruto was used to from that man.

"I suppose the knowledge about my mom - about Uzumaki Kushina being the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki doesn't count, does it?" Naruto grimaced. "Considering little me is in the same room, I guess it wouldn't..." He slammed his palm onto his face, the pain from a sudden movement sizzling through his muscles, sending a chill down his back. "Come on, _Ojii-san_, how the heck could I have known that history would come in handy someday? It's so _boring!_"

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow.

"Honestly, if there was one class I didn't care for at all in the academy..." Naruto rolled his eyes. "Well, except for reading about the Fourth, of course - but that's recent history for you." He shook his head. "If you want me to show you something that would convince you - I don't think anything I had with me survived the battle. I was half naked at the end there, which is kind of embarrassing..."

"What was left was suffused with demonic chakra, and destroyed," the Third agreed.

"I liked that jacket," Naruto muttered tiredly. "Why is this so difficult?" He looked away nervously to avoid the harsh gaze of the old man that was decidedly less benevolent than usual. His mind was drawing a blank. "I can tell you how _Rasengan _works! No, no, there's more people who can do that - you need something else, something unique - the _Hiraishin, _maybe. Yes - that's a good one!"

"I saw you using that technique, true," Sarutobi agreed. "It hardly proves your claims, though. The Hiraishin has long been a technique that's highly coveted by many neighbouring countries, not the least of which is Iwa, which has dared quite a few transgressions across the border of late." He puffed on his long pipe, scowling. "In fact... two spies were captured just this morning, taking advantage of the weakened state of the village."

"I'm not from Iwa - and besides, no one else but me and my father knows how to perform that technique!" Naruto exclaimed. "That's why it was such a big step for me to start using it! It's how I screwed up and got in this mess in the first place. I'm probably one of the only people who could do what I did..."

The Third Hokage puffed on his pipe, narrowing his eyes. "Perhaps - but with only your word for it, and with the author of the technique-" The Third hesitated for a moment, and his eyes dimmed. "Dead, or worse - that leaves me with a potentially stolen technique in a village in which one of the founding clans prizes its knowledge for taking foreign techniques."

"I'm not a bloody Uchiha," Naruto sputtered in outrage "Who the hell ever heard of a blond one, anyway? And do I look like I've got pink-eye?" He rubbed his eyes, aghast.

The Third sighed. "You must see - please consider my position, Naruto-san. More than three dozen spies are captured each year, most of which are immediately handed over to the Interrogation department. Quite a few of them have stories that are considerably more - believable - than your own." He shook his head. "An attack such as this one would be the perfect time to slip someone through our defenses - and several have tried, as I mentioned. It is mercy on my part that allows you to remain in the hospital, rather than locked in one of our deepest cells, brought to reveal your every secret."

Naruto shivered, gulping. "Y-you wouldn't, right?" He cringed, wondering whether or not he could have withstood something like that - Ibiki was _really good_ at it. "I should have listened to Iruka-sensei in the academy - he always told me that I'd need those vague stories about the previous wars someday..." He froze in realization. "Iruka-sensei - yes, I can use that! Umino Iruka is one of the new orphans, his parents got killed in the attack!"

"So he is. Can you give me more names?" Sarutobi asked, looking rather unimpressed. Naruto realized with an uncomfortable twinge that knowing details of who died in the attack was just as much something a spy would know. An echo of disappointment rang in the old man's voice.

"Orphans..." Naruto glanced to his younger self. "I didn't really know many of them, even though I was one myself. I - I didn't have many friends growing up. I was more into pranks than memorizing things, anyway. I know all the nooks and crannies from the hospital to the east wall, but names..." Naruto sighed, then perked up. "Ah - maybe I can tell something about Kakashi-sensei? The Sharingan, maybe? I know that it's from Uchiha Obito, his teammate that died in the Third Shinobi World War. Kakashi goes to visit the memorial stone every day to speak to him." _Was that common knowledge then - well, now? It wasn't in my time, at least..._ Naruto frowned once more. "He should have started getting everywhere late by now, since he wants to keep paying homage to Obito." He paused, shivering. "Actually - Obito isn't dead."

The Third's eyes pinned him down after that statement, merciless in their intensity. "Is that so? Do you know where to find him?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Well - I think he fought my father just before I got here, since he's involved with the attack - he wears a mask these days, pretending to be Uchiha Madara, it's weird. I imagine that he's still near the village, but he has this teleporting technique with those fancy Sharingan eyes of his that makes him really tough to catch..."

"Where would we find him?" Sarutobi repeated.

"I don't know where _exactly_!" Naruto exclaimed, groaning. "I just know that dad couldn't take him out - not after he went to lick his wounds, in some weird alternate dimension of his own. Kakashi-sensei can do the same sort of thing, though probably not yet in this time. Maybe I should look into that..."

The Third rubbed his brow. "So, you're saying that we can't check that claim within a short time frame, then. You are not making things easier for yourself, you must realize."

Naruto sighed defeatedly. "I can try to think of something else," he said, casting his younger counterpart a short, warm look. "My name, for example, it's from one of _Ero- _Jiraiya-sensei's books, you know."

"Is it?" Sarutobi raised an eyebrow. "I don't think that something like that would be proof of much. Jiraiya writes many books. It's not something to be proud of, either."

"Not from bloody Icha-Icha," Naruto snapped. "It's probably not common knowledge - my name is from Jiraiya-sensei's _first _book. _Tales of A Gutsy Ninja._ It wasn't really that popular, but it's one of his best, in my opinion." Naruto sighed, smiling slightly. "Jiraiya-sensei was the kind of person who wished for peace. He believed that with writing that book, he could slowly change the world for the better. You know, the main character was actually based on the words of his student from the Village of Rain - a boy called Nagato." He balled his fist. "_I will break the curse - if there is such a thing as peace, I will find it._ That's what he said. My father must have liked the book's message a lot, and he probably hoped for me to grow up like the Naruto from the story. I liked to think that I did well."

There was a soft creaking from the corner of the room, the opening of a door, and Sarutobi turned slightly, frowning. Jiraiya grinned nervously as he peeked around the frame. The white-haired nin, seemingly unaware of how tense the atmosphere inside was, quickly stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "Oy, no talking behind my back, now."

Naruto felt his eyes watering against his will - but how could he not? Jiraiya had always been someone that he wished he had spent more time with, even after being on the road with him for years. He was someone dear to him that he could not save in the end. How many times had he wished that he would have been there, together with the man, when he faced the Six Paths of Pain.

"_Ero-sennin,_" he breathed as the Third sent a short annoyed glare at the white haired man.

"What?" Jiraiya held the Hokage's look calmly, completely nonplussed. "I was getting bored out there, listening in. Besides, he is talking about interesting things." He turned to Naruto, raising an eyebrow. He looked very much like Naruto remembered, even though his hair was a little shaggier, his frame a little lighter. He was probably precisely the same person regardless of age, anyway. He reached into a pocket, and held a little booklet yellowed around the corners. "Few people have read this - and I suppose there's barely anyone who would know about that particular quote. How did you come to this knowledge?"

Naruto smiled slightly, just staring at his old sensei. "Actually, Nagato told me, and Fukasaku showed me that book after you-" He almost choked on the words. His father had always been a dream of the past, someone he wished to know, but never could. Seeing him again was a miracle, and even though it was short, and the frustration from being unable to change the flow of history hurt terribly, it seemed like it was meant to be that way. After all these years, it was very difficult to converse with the Third - the old man had died leaving him only pain and a feeling of emptiness. Jiraiya was another of his regrets. "After you... died."

"Do you have anything else you could say?" Sarutobi asked in exasperation. "You claimed that you are from the future - you must know something more?"

"It is alright, we'll have to use the next best thing." Jiraiya stood straighter, and Naruto was reminded just how serious his sensei could get if he wanted to. "You could tell us something about that future, couldn't you? You mentioned losing everything _again, _earlier_._ What happened in the _past _that you remember, during the Kyuubi attack?"

"It was probably the biggest loss for _Konoha _in its history," Naruto started slowly. "I can't guess at the huge number of civilians and shinobi alike who were killed that day, whole clans wiped from the village. I lost my family. I lost half of my heritage. When my father died, you - the other _Ojii-san _took back the mantle of Hokage. And he decided to keep my origins away from me for my own safety. That's why I was known Uzumaki, not Namikaze..." He paused to take in just how much younger Jiraiya looked, after all. Leaner, more standoffish, yet with the same glint of thoughtfulness and trickery in his eyes. That bit of him proved to be as timeless as the stories about his perversions. "I... don't think much changed, since I arrived so late. And the future - well, it'll take years before many of the things I remember will come around..."

Jiraiya nodded gravely, then looked nervously at his old teacher, before he leaned over. "Say - how about my books? Are they more famous in the future?"

The Third just stared for a moment, sighing in disgust.

"Yes, actually," Naruto said, frowning. "Kakashi-sensei buys them as soon as they come out, for example." He stared incredulously at the white haired nin. "Are you seriously asking me about _that, _now?"

"Well, maybe you know how I'm going to end my current one?" Jiraiya smirked. "Come on, you're an adult, you must've snuck a peek sometime..."

"What?" Naruto spluttered. "_Ero-sennin_, stop this nonsense - I don't remember the books that well! I only ever completely read Icha Icha Tactics, and that was because you had me helping with the editing - and it was published _years _in the future, anyway, so you probably haven't started yet. Besides, you always change your endings at least a couple of times before sending them in. You can't expect me to know what your current one is."

"He knows me well," Jiraiya announced, smirking. "You were an editor, eh? I wouldn't leave some stranger anywhere near my drafts, so we must have been pretty close."

"Oh - now I know!" Naruto let out a beaming smile. "I've got it." He pointed a finger accusingly towards Sandaime, sticking out his tongue. "The old man here, he always keeps at least the latest volume of the Icha Icha hidden under his bed! He's secretly a pervert!"

Sarutobi spluttered in protest, though his cheeks coloured, and Jiraiya let loose a booming laugh. "Sensei, you should have told me you liked the books - I would have sent you advance copies!"

The Third collected himself in a matter of seconds, but his expression wasn't as cold as before. "It is not something you can officially condone, not if you want to be taken seriously. Besides - I read them for the excellent descriptions of foreign - villages. Villages."

"He's telling the truth, isn't he?" Jiraiya laughed till there were tears in his eyes. "So all the talk about unbecoming behaviour was hokum? All these times I had to listen to you and Tsunade ganging up on me? Sensei, you old monkey!"

"I don't have to explain myself to you," Sarutobi muttered. "Jiraiya, why are you letting yourself be distracted by this?"

"No - this is gold!" Jiraiya kept up the bickering, far too amused to stop. "Which part was your favourite in my last novel, then?"

Naruto chuckled along merrily - it was a welcome sight to have some relief from the earlier tense atmosphere, and he relished in the genuine amusement that Jiraiya displayed. After such a nightmarish start, it felt like he had taken the first steps home. His chuckling soon turned into a laughter, and holding to his hurting side, bandages stretched to their limits, he laughed in tune with the Toad Sage. The stress from before, the feelings of loss and hopelessness washed away for that short moment of relief.

A child cried out, and everyone stopped, and Jiraiya coughed embarrassedly. Little Naruto had woken up, woken up by the loud shouts of the adults.

Naruto looked at his younger self aghast, clamping a hand over his mouth. "Sorry," he muttered for no one in particular. "Kinda forgot..."

Jiraiya looked rather uncomfortable having woken a child himself, so he moved forward and scooped the baby in his arms. "Hey, little stuff, calm down," he said, smiling at the child. "It's unbecoming of a future shinobi to be such a crybaby."

"He _is _a baby, _Ero-sennin_, cut him some slack," Naruto said. "What do you expect from him at that age?"

The child calmed down quickly, fascinated by the white strands of hair that fell into his reach, and soon he tried to touch it. He could not quite reach the white mane yet, but not for lack of trying.

"Feisty one," Jiraiya said, and he turned the child to face his bandaged counterpart. "Look how grumpy you might grow up. Better not let that happen, right?"

Naruto's mouth fell open. "You believe me?"

"I'm allowing you the benefit of doubt." Jiraiya said, smiling slightly. "It's not the same as believing - but not the same as disbelieving, either. It's subtle."

"You believe me." Naruto laughed carelessly. "Thanks, Jiraiya-sensei, I knew I could count on you."

"Yeah, yeah, don't look too much into it." Jiraiya shrugged, rocking the child gently. "We're still not sure if we can count on _you_. I suppose we'll find out. Honestly, I doubt you're a spy, because if you were - you would probably pass as the worst excuse for one that I've ever seen. If you were going to lie about this stuff, about time travel, I'd expect any decent spy to have a long and detailed list of obscure facts to establish the truth."

Naruto grumbled in annoyance. "I wasn't _that_ bad at infiltration..."

"I'd hope not," Jiraiya agreed.

Sarutobi crossed his arms. "Are you sure about this, Jiraiya?"

"No." The white haired nin snorted. "But I need to look at the seal - and it's easier to do so with cooperation. If what _future _Naruto here says is true, he must have one too. Suffice to say that faking a seal like that would be pretty dangerous if it's just for the sake of spying."

"Do you need help examining the seal?" Naruto asked, lowering a hand to his stomach. "I could give you a rundown, or-"

"No," Jiraiya said, grinning contently, like a man presented with an exciting challenge. "I don't want to be bothered by my preconceptions."

"Alright," Naruto nodded and fell silent.

Jiraiya laid the child back into the crib and touched a hand to his belly. There was a slight pulse of chakra, and the seal flickered to life. The Toad Sage hummed softly, and leaned in to look closer. The baby muttered excitedly and managed to touch a few white strands.

Sarutobi joined the Toad Sage on the other side of the crib, his expression impassive. Naruto doubted that this was the first time that the Hokage looked at that particular seal.

Jiraiya traced one of the lines with his finger, and the little Naruto gurgled, shying away from the sensation. "Interesting. Very interesting. It's amazing to see it in person - the Key was a good clue, but this is even more exciting."

"You have the Key," Naruto commented. "Good, I hoped that the toads delivered it to you..."

"Please, don't say anything," Jiraiya muttered. "Let me think." It took a good five minutes until Jiraiya moved again. He pushed more chakra into the seal; after a few more attempts, he seemingly gave up. "The Kyuubi is definitely locked away and the seal looks both powerful and as _safe _as it can. I'll have to do this again, preferably in a couple more months," he said to Sarutobi. "I don't have much to add to what we talked before - and the bit about chakra absorption was spot on. The kid is never going to run out of chakra."

"I see." Sarutobi frowned. "It's a heavy burden," he whispered to the child. "Your father would be proud of you." He turned back to Jiraiya. "Do you need the child for comparisons? I think we could move him with the other children. Especially if he's safe."

"Do you have to?" Naruto spoke up again as Jiraiya moved closer to him. "I - I don't want him to be left alone. I remember being lonely, when I was little..."

"We can't keep him here, especially when you're getting better." Sarutobi sighed slightly. "I promise to make sure he's taken care off for a few days - its not like he was held here from the very beginning, and he won't go to an orphanage for a while - if at all."

"You moved him in here, just hours before I woke, didn't you?" Naruto asked. "That's why this room looks so unsuited for children. You wanted to see how I would react upon seeing my - well, myself."

Neither of the two older men commented on that.

"Now, other Naruto, brace yourself," Jiraiya said, moving next to him with a frown as he looked down at the heavily bandaged figure. "I'm going to remove some of your bandages now."

Naruto simply shivered as the first layers were removed, but, when the final, blood-soaked bits were ripped free, he choked on the sharp pain. There it was, covered by only a last layer of sticky gauze - the wound that Kurama had given him - it was partially healed over, but Naruto had to admit that it was probably the worst wound that he could remember getting - and those tended to close nearly instantly, before.

"This is going to hurt even more - the bandages got stuck with all this blood. Why didn't you say that you were bleeding?"

"Sorry for gritting my teeth and bearing it," Naruto murmured. "I got used to quickly healing injuries like this."

"The famed Uzumaki longevity?" Sarutobi had moved the crib closer to the door, and was lingering there, watching Naruto and Jiraiya both.

"The Kyuubi. The healing I inherited doesn't even get close from what I can tell." Naruto choked out as he felt the last bandage being torn with a yank. "Careful!"

"It was stuck," the white haired shinobi complained half-heartedly. "What I was supposed to do?"

Naruto wiped tears of pain from his eyes. "Could have done it slower. Just you wait - I'll figure out a way to pay you back for that."

"Shush." Jiraiya touched his stomach. "It looks almost healed already." His hand was warm on the chilly skin. It was strange to feel something else than the rough pressing of the bandages, and he sighed. When Jiraiya introduced a drop of chakra, it felt weird, but non-intrusive, only brushing at his chakra pathways. Curious, careful, considerate.

"Well?" Naruto looked down - the seal wasn't visible. "Huh. Maybe you did it wrong."

The nin grumbled. "Could you use some chakra yourself? It should work better than my own. I don't want to overstimulate your coils from the outside - it could hurt you further."

"You'll need to remove some of the suppression seals, then," Naruto said petulantly.

"Fine." Jiraiya quickly unravelled some of the marks etched on the bandages. "There. That should be enough for what we need."

Naruto closed his eyes, focusing. He called up some chakra, bubbling up in him like an old friend, and his former - _or was it future _- teacher retracted the arm in surprise.

"That's it. Interesting," Jiraiya repeated for the third time. "Strange - it's like a ghost."

"What?" Naruto squinted his eyes - and noted that there were nearly invisible lines that stood out on his stomach, marking his seal. When Kurama had been torn out of him, it had to have have destabilized the seal. He concentrated, searching for the energy of the seal, deep inside. Something was still keeping the remains of the seal going - he'd have to look into it. He relaxed the chakra he had called up. "I don't think I can hold it much longer than that - you still left some of the suppression, and I'm pretty weak."

"It's enough - clearly, the seal exists. Someone is going to come by to change the bandages, so you don't get infected. Try not to move too much, since it'll be awhile yet before you can reasonably get up again." He turned slightly, to face the Third. "I think that's enough, for now, sensei. We should bring little Naruto to the other squirts, and get working on rebuilding things. Let's go."

"We will speak again," the Third said to Naruto, before he turned and followed the white-haired Sage outside. Just like that, they were gone, taking the crib and its contents with them.

Naruto was left sitting there, staring at the wall in front of him, his stomach out in the open, the wound feeling weird out in the air. He was alone again. He grinned victoriously as he reached for his stomach. Someone was going to come and change his bandages? Without reapplying the complete array of the suppression seals first? He chuckled to himself. "Sloppy, _Ero-sennin, very sloppy."_

In a swift but painful movement, Naruto placed his hands in the clone seal. "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu,_" he breathed, channeling a huge part of what was there of his yet fickle chakra, especially when it was still sealed away.

A bandaged, sick-looking clone flickered into existence, wobbling slightly on his legs - outside the suppressing seals.

"Yosh," the clone wheezed out, looking down at himself and wincing. "Damn, I look terrible."

Naruto coughed. "Move it, you stupid clone, before someone sees you."

"Of course, Boss." And with a gust of wind, the battered clone was gone, and the door thumped quietly at his departure.

* * *

A flash of green jumped nimbly between buildings, easily jumping gaps and across rooftops as he attempted to keep up. Not far ahead, a black shape crowned with silver made the trip seem easy. The half moon shone down on bright silver hair, and its owner stopped quite suddenly on a flat rooftop. The green beast stopped next to him, curious.

"You seem preoccupied, my rival." Gai noted, unusually subdued - at least, for him. He looked out over the village - a large part of it lay in ruins, and though this side of town had mostly weathered the storm, there were few families that had not lost anyone in the sudden attack of the Kyuubi.

"I feel like I should have helped," Kakashi replied uneasily, shaking his head. "I can see why they kept us back - it would be stupid to sacrifice the people who would need to rebuild after this was over - but now..." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It feels awful."

Gai raised an eyebrow. "Still - the village survives, and the power of youth shall replenish it in time, so that it is greater than before!"

Kakashi rolled his eye, glaring half-heartedly at Gai. "If you're about to go into one of your rants-" He broke off, smiling slightly. "Trying to distract me, huh?" He sighed. "I suppose it worked."

"Yosh!" Gai gave a thumbs-up. "Still - I can tell that you are distracted - and you must have wanted to come here for a reason." He glanced aside, across the road. "I suspect I know your intentions. But - are you certain that this is what you want to do, my eternal rival? Or that you should?"

Kakashi sniffed. "Did you say something?"

"How very hip of you," Gai declared, but his eyes betrayed that he understood - they were serious, focused. "I can understand your wish to see your sensei, even though he is seriously injured - but surely the Hokage would permit visitors, if he were ready for such a thing. Should you not wait-"

"Gai," Kakashi muttered, watching the rooftop of the hospital.

"Yes?" Gai flashed him a smile, the huge eyebrows moving into position to hover above his expression as distractingly as it was possible and more. "Have you reconsidered?"

"No - I was going to say that you should keep it down - I'm trying to get in without getting caught, and you're kind of an eyesore already without all the talking." He smirked. "And yes - I am going to break in there. It's been days; I want to see what's going on. At least I want to be sure that sensei will be okay." He looked down, frowning. "I - don't have many people left."

Gai nodded soberly."So be it. I shall help you with your quest." His smile returned. "If I cannot do so, I shall run three hundred laps around Konoha on my elbows!"

Kakashi planted a hand on his face, covering up his only open eye. "Just - let's do it silently, alright? I'll need you to keep an eye out."

"Are we going to take down that pair of ANBU?" Gai asked, gesturing to the two shinobi that were hidden by the entrance, though their shadows were just barely visible in the moonlight. "I am not sure if assaulting Konoha nin is very youthful, especially in this time."

"We´re going to sneak past them, of course. We're ninja, aren't we?" Kakashi took another few seconds to observe the ANBU by the doors, before his attention shifted to the roof. There, two more slowly made their way around the perimeter. They were far too jumpy to make this easy. "Follow me closely if you want to get in - and be quiet."

"Yosh! - I mean, yosh."

Kakashi slid his hitai-ate upwards, revealing the red eye of Obito's Sharingan. He focused on the ANBU on the roof, the Uchiha eye providing a short glimpse to the future, a hint of what the men would do. These ANBU were good - they had a pattern that would have been unpredictable to almost any shinobi - except for those with the Sharingan.

"Go," Kakashi mouthed and he sped off, running up to the hospital wall in total silence, muffling the sound of his footsteps with chakra, even as he weaved a genjutsu below him, blocking the sight of both him and Gai from the ANBU at the entrance. They still had another second or two - tops.

Nearly at the top of the wall, Kakashi placed another Genjutsu - a tiny one - that held for only the split second that it took to flip himself through the topmost window, followed by Gai. It broke, then - hopefully the ANBU had not sensed the chakra usage. Gai quickly snapped the window closed behind him, and sighed in relief.

_Where to now? _Kakashi quickly glanced around, making sure to keep totally silent, for fear of setting Gai off again. There were patients here, of course, but with cover of darkness and silence, none had woken up yet. He sneaked out into the corridor, with Gai a couple of steps behind, remarkably quiet in his own right, despite the fact that he was still wearing his obnoxious green outfit. Kakashi forced himself to ignore his desire to comment on it. _Silence_.

Gesturing carefully to Gai, he made sure that he was aware of the need for silence, before he finally spoke."We should go to look for more guards," he suggested in a whisper. "They wouldn't leave the Hokage unguarded, and four seems on the low end, even if most are busy in town."

"Very astute observation." Gai flashed another smile. "I think I hear someone walking in our direction now - we should hide."

Kakashi gestured his understanding, and flipped himself upwards. He affixing himself to the ceiling before he stilled completely, breathing only as much as he required. The trick in hiding was not really to weave a Genjutsu constantly - that got tiring, and plenty of shinobi could sense them - but to make sure that you didn't stand out from the environment, so that there was never a reason to go looking for intruders at all. Gai disappeared in a tiny puff of smoke; he had hidden in a small niche behind a minor _henge _and a potted plant, and Kakashi was honestly a little impressed.

Someone walked slowly yet assuredly towards them from the next hallway, and Kakashi almost cursed himself when he realized it had to be another ANBU. By the gait of the man, Kakashi figured he was tired - which was good, since tired meant unobservant. The figure wearing a mask depicting a rat's face came around the corner, apparently on patrol.

Something was off, though, and Kakashi only just managed to prevent himself from taking a quick breath in surprise. The ANBU wore a standard uniform and his brown hair was cut short, but despite his tired gait he seemed completely at ease, which was definitely not what an ANBU should be while guarding someone as high-profile as the sitting Hokage.

Kakashi's Sharingan barely had time to scream a warning before the ANBU looked up, not slowing down at all as his dark eyes captured Kakashi's. "Yo."

Frozen in total shock for a moment, Kakashi failed to answer. He had not even sensed chakra use, which implied the ANBU had known he was there from remarkable sensory perception alone. The silver-haired Jounin debated whether to jump in and take out the ANBU, when the nin saluted him, raising two fingers to the top of the mask. The he moved on, unperturbed. For a split second the man glanced to his side - towards Gai - but he ignored that, too.

Kakashi dropped on the ground after the ANBU was gone, utterly confused. "What just happened?" he asked, baffled.

"Maybe that ANBU knows us?" Gai suggested, appearing at his side momentarily, a few stray leaves still stuck in his hair. "That must mean that we're on the right track, does it not? It must be his way of saying that he's not going to turn you in."

Kakashi frowned uncertainly, but he could find no more plausible explanations. "Yeah, let's go with that." He suddenly faltered, and cursed silently - he had been using the Sharingan for too long, and it was getting him confused. The moment when the nin had looked up, he could have sworn that there was something wrong with the man, but he was not so sure now. What if they had just let an intruder pass? Then again, he couldn't just go and tell anyone: '_While sneaking in forbidden parts of the hospital, I saw this shady looking nin that was obviously an ANBU.' _

"Let's move on, and hope that's our weirdness for the day," Kakashi mumbled and followed his own command, walking towards the corner that the mysterious nin had come from. He left the sharingan open, even though it was draining him a lot, just in case he'd need it. A few turns later, Kakashi warned Gai to stay, narrowing his eyes. There, exiting a room at the end of the hall that was flanked by another ANBU, was a medical-nin. Kakashi was sure he caught a glimpse of the yellow haired man half-sitting in the bed behind her, and he could not suppress a satisfied grin as his conjecture was confirmed - Minato-sensei was here. Jackpot.

There was no way that six different ANBU would be guarding the hospital - and the wing that Kakashi had decided to check first _was _one of the most secure places in the whole building. It made sense.

"I'll return in the morning, to change the bandages again," the medical-nin said in a sweet voice. "Please, rest."

"Thank you," someone replied in a weak and rough voice, and Kakashi stilled. Yes, this was the place. The ANBU closed the door behind the medical-nin, who quickly walked off in the opposite direction.

A medical-nin would have been no match for the precognitive abilities of the sharingan, but this was different. The ANBU was tall and his eyes, though half closed, were undoubtedly fully alert of everything that went on. This was one person that they couldn't pass without getting into his line of sight. There was only one choice, here. Carefully signing his intentions to Gai, he focused chakra to his eye, shuddering slightly as he felt himself weakening.

Flashing around the corner, the two Jounin were at the ANBU's position before he had time to draw a kunai, and as Gai grasped the man's arm before it could reach his belt, Kakashi unleashed his jutsu. His Sharingan twirled as Kakashi focused his genjutsu upon its victim - the man's eyes rolled up, and he slumped down.

"Sweet dreams," Kakashi wheezed out, everything spinning around due to the fast chakra drain, and he grasped Gai's shoulder, just as the latter caught the nin before he could fall and make a ruckus. Silence remained, and Kakashi sighed in relief as he raised himself up again.

"Go, my rival," Gai showed him a thumbs-up and changed into a co of the downed ANBU. "Someone has to guard the entrance until you finish your business with your sensei. Don't take too long - my henge is no match for a determined ANBU, I am sure."

Kakashi grunted and threw the disabled shinobi over his shoulder, though the weight was a bit much. The genjutsu would only work for five minutes or so, but just in case, he bound the ANBU's hands with a short chain, so that he could at least reapply it. Then, he opened the door and stepped inside.

"Kakashi?!" There was an incredulous exclamation from the inside, and the door slammed shut.

"Thank Kami," Kakashi breathed out, more relieved than he would care to admit, and he dropped the disabled nin like a sack of potatoes. "I thought you died!"

"What are you doing in here?" The man that could only have been his sensei asked in disbelief, but was that the sound of disappointment Kakashi heard in his voice? He followed the man's gaze to the unconscious body at his feet.

"I - it was necessary." Kakashi stepped closer, almost falling onto his knees right next to his sensei's bed as the chakra drain of his eye caught up with him, but he ignored the discomfort. He tore down the mask in a quick move, and flashed a short grin as his teacher's blue eyes widened.

"I thought I had lost the last..." Kakashi muttered tiredly. "The attack - I thought that you might have died, and that I'd be..." He shook his head. "I just had to see you - on the off chance that the rumours were true. Thank heavens - they're not."

It was only then that Kakashi took in the extent of the bandages on his teacher. There was barely an unbandaged area to be seen, save for his eyes, and even now, there was a tiny bit of blood seeping into the freshly changed linens. There were so many wounds - it was a miracle that Minato-sensei could speak. Then, Kakashi looked into bandaged face, and found the watchful and puzzled blue eyes that met his own.

Kakashi jumped in surprise as Minato suddenly twitched with a spasm of pain, and fell back onto the bed with a whimper. _I didn't use it,_ was Kakashi's first thought._ W-What if I did? - _the second thought was scarier than the first, and he grasped his teacher by the shoulder, before letting go as the man jerked away.

"Minato-sensei!" He called fearfully, hoping that this was not his fault - or that he had arrived just in time to see him die. Desperate, he moved his hitai-ate down, hoping that breaking the Sharingan's hold would help. It didn't. Minato looked completely unresponsive, and Kakashi had no idea what to do.

* * *

Naruto was confused. He had just had his bandages changed and wounds cleaned, and wasn't expecting anyone to show up until the early morning at the very least. However - this happened. Kakashi had torn inside his isolated room just after the medical-nin excused herself, much younger and a lot more expressive than Naruto had honestly expected of him.

Before he could explain that he wasn't Minato - and he had no idea how to get that idea out of the boy's head without hurting him - the touch of the Sharingan sent him spinning. _What was going on? _Genjutsu? No - even in his weakened state, he would have at least noticed it, and he was in enough pain that he would probably snap out almost immediately. No - it was like diving into the prison seal. Maybe his own version of the seal reacted to the presence of the Sharingan, as it had always agitated the Kyuubi too? The remnants of Kurama's chakra could have been reacting to the cursed eyes.

The why fled as Naruto stood up. He was inside his head, in the old sewer-like part of his mind, where pipes flowed every which way across the walls, and the huge prison gate was - this was where Kurama lived, after a fashion - it was empty, now.

Or was it?

Something familiar called out to him. Now that it was stronger, Naruto realized that it had been calling out for while - he had just dismissed it, a distant hum that seemed to fall just out of reach. It was chakra - the soft hum of chakra that flowed under his skin - yet not quite his own. It was familiar. Very familiar.

"D-Dad?" Naruto asked, turning around, trying to locate the source of his father's chakra. He quickly deduced the only likely place where it could be - even if it made no sense for it to be there, since it had been exhausted already. He walked towards the giant gate of his prison.

There, something moved. Very slowly, the dim light of the hallway brightened, and thin bars of light appeared behind the gate, growing longer with time. There, sitting patiently behind the centre of the gate, was a man. The figure moved slowly, his long blond bangs catching the dim light from outside the cage as his head lifted. Two sky-blue eyes opened, focusing on Naruto.

The Fourth Hokage sat cross-legged in a few inches of water, though he seemed unconcerned with the fact that it was soaking his clothes. His long white cloak drifted on the surface, surrounding him on all sides, the flame-like edges vanishing in the darkness, giving it a tattered appearance.

"Naruto," he said, and a weary smile appeared at last. "It's good to see you."

"Wha-" Naruto ran over to the bars in consternation, staring in disbelief through the bars, though he knew that reaching inside was impossible, as long as the gate was locked. His father - his _dead _father, had somehow ended up in his head, and on the wrong side of Kurama's seal! "How the heck did this happen? You - here - what?" He shook his head. "What?"

Namikaze Minato laughed softly, a clear sound that seemed out of place in the gloom of this eerie room, with its huge towering gate. The man simply observed, finally nodding. "Ah, Naruto - I see now that I should have trusted Kushina more - it was a mother's intuition, I suppose. She knew who you were, even when I was too caught up in the moment. I'm sorry about that."

"Ah, yeah..." Naruto rubbed the back of his head nervously, staring. "I - I did kinda spring it all on you, didn't I? Didn't really introduce myself and all that..." He sighed. "I'm sorry."

"It was my mistake." Minato slumped slightly, but his gaze never left Naruto. "How old are you, now?"

Naruto blinked. "T-Twenty-three, why?"

"Twenty-three years old..." Minato hummed slightly. "Almost the same age as me, you know - that's strange. At least you're not older still - I wouldn't know what to think if I was younger than my child!" He laughed silently to himself, though Naruto wondered if it was genuine. Finally he stopped, and calm eyes met Naruto's again.

"As for why I'm here..." He reached out, jerking his hand back from the bars of the gate when he got close, and a little spark arced to his finger. "When I took the Kyuubi's chakra from inside it, when I forced it to disperse so that it could be sealed - I was doubtful about how seriously I could take your supposed identity. Though I doubted you meant harm, I took precautions. During our fight, I placed a seal on you." He paused for a long moment. "I sealed away my own chakra, so that it would go to you after I died. Just in case, so that I could finish what I started, one way or another."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly. "You made a seal that worked after you _died? _How?"

Minato had the dignity to look embarrassed. "There are techniques to channel one's chakra like that, even if it's usually fatal - but I had little reason to suspect I would survive, so it seemed justified. It is not unlikely_ Kage Bunshin_, a favoured technique of your own if I am not mistaken. If I had used it as intended, it would have briefly taken over your body - just long enough to finish the sealing."

"Dad - that's amazing!" Naruto grinned broadly. "I got started with sealing, and I'm pretty good, but that's... that's on another level."

"Considering you sealed the Kyuubi well, I would say you are more than 'pretty good' - don't be shy," Minato said confidently. "When you finished the sealing, and that spark of my chakra faded, thankfully unnecessary - I found myself here, instead. Part of me, at least. An echo, perhaps, or a reflection." He looked at his fingers, curling them up and shrugging. "As I was not sure about your identity, and I was short on time regardless, I hadn't taken into account the presence of your seal - much less an empty one. As it repaired itself, foreign chakra was drawn in, and locked away, including mine. It is temporary, I'm sure, but it gives us certain opportunities."

"I caught you in the seal?" Naruto said, shivering. "The Shinigami should have-"

"The Shinigami got his sacrifice. Consider me a clone, if that is easier." He reached out again, smiling sadly. "Don't worry - my stay here is voluntary. I'm sure that if I dispel myself, so to say, my chakra will join the rest of me. In a few days time, at most, that will happen on it's own. But - let's not do that quite yet, shall we?"

Naruto nodded eagerly. "We spoke like this before, you know," he said, his voice wavering. "The seal was breaking - you told me you had left your chakra to help me, should it ever fail. You brought me back from releasing the Nine-Tails into the world - but your chakra was exhausted after that. You told me we'd probably never meet again, even if I..." He swallowed thickly. "The same with - mom..."

"I know," Minato said softly, and he raised an eyebrow at Naruto's incredulous glance. "I may be locked up behind these bars - but I happen to know this seal pretty well. I modified it quite a bit, and clearly you must've learned its structure somewhere along the way, since you knew exactly how to handle it. Your own seal is a little different, I've noticed. You reforged it anew at some point? Regardless, I figured it out. I got more than I bargained for, though, when I tried to gain some understanding of my - host. You were unconscious - your defences were completely gone."

Naruto scowled. "You broke into my head?"

"After a fashion," Minato admitted ruefully. "I saw very little - only that which seemed especially relevant. Your trip here, the Kyuubi, the truth of your identity, our other meeting. Your origins. Only a half-forgotten dream rather than a full blown memory, but still the best I could get." He sighed deeply. "Ah, Naruto - I did mess up your life, didn't I? Twice now, it seems, in two different eventualities."

"It's not so bad..." Naruto mumbled, rubbing his stomach. "Besides, the Kurama I knew is gone now, and even with all the benefits of his presence, it's sort of nice not to be a Jinchuuriki for once. I'm like Gaara, now. If he can be a Kage without the Ichibi..."

"I hope I don't count as a Bijuu," Minato agreed, smiling.

Naruto looked down, tired. "Dad - what do I do? What the hell do I do?" He sunk to the floor, gazing at his flickering reflection in the water at his feet. "This isn't where I'm supposed to be - I have a life, back home! The Fourth Shinobi World War was over - there was peace. What about Hinata - and Sakura, and everyone else? And I was going to _finally-" _He looked up, then, troubled. "The Hiraishin has its limits. It can't travel to what doesn't exist yet - I can't go back, can I?"

Minato remained silent.

"I - I was going to beat your record, dad!" Naruto said at last, and his voice trembled. "Twenty-three years old - a year earlier than even you. I was going to finally do it, fulfil my dream! And now-"

"Hokage?" Minato inquired, almost breathlessly. Naruto glanced up, and was caught off guard by the twinkling eyes that met his, filled with so much pride that his breath hitched. A grin split Minato's face, then. "Godaime Hokage, Namikaze Naruto? I _like_ it!"

Naruto chuckled to himself. "Rokudaime, actually, and sort of the second one - it was a bit of a mess in the war." He scratched the back of his head nervously. "And I go by Uzumaki Naruto. Used to be safer, you know. And the old man thought it was best if I didn't find out about - well, you - until I was older." He shrugged. "In the end, it was you that told me about my origins, which you have probably already seen. Then I punched you."

"Yes." Minato snorted. "You must've gotten _that_ from Kushina."

"Probably," Naruto agreed, smiling warmly. "She and I got along, the one time we met." A little of the cold misery seemed to fall away as he thought of that meeting. "Though I guess you can tell that I got a few other things from you." He ran a hand through his hair, winking. "Honestly, I am still unsure why I never made the connection. Guess I don't look in the mirror enough. And the statue, of course, doesn't portray all the colours that well."

Minato just stared for a while, and Naruto fidgeted under that gaze. "You grew up to be a lot like your parents," he said. "That's good." He nodded. "I saw you use the _Hiraishin _- and I caught that toad summoning too. You've been learning my techniques, eh? I assume Jiraiya-sensei was involved?"

"For the toads, yes." Naruto looked troubled for a moment. "He taught me the _Rasengan _too_, _and a few other things, but he - died before we could get to the rest."

"Chin up," Minato ordered light-heartedly. "He is alive, you know?"

Naruto blinked, and thought of the younger Jiraiya that had barged in not long ago. "Right - I even talked with him. That's - that's actually very nice." He laughed. "I get to speak to him however much I want."

Minato smiled kindly after a short pause. "So you figured it out, my best technique, without anyone to help you?" He whistled. "Something to be proud of, you know. I can see that you've got some of the skills a Hokage needs - whole research teams failed at reproducing it during the war - and they had good reasons to dismantle it."

"Yes - well, I did have the advantage of an unlimited number of shadow clones. And it wasn't like I didn't have help," Naruto hedged. "Plus Kyuubi and I were sort of - friends - so he kept me going. Even if he complains - complained constantly." He shook his head. "Listen to me, talking about stuff that technically never happens. That is so messed up."

"Hey - look at it from my perspective, would you?" Minato asked. "I got to meet my adult son on the same day he was born." He shrugged. "My would-be _Hokage_ son, at that. Apparently Konoha needed more than just the one Yellow Flash. And then there's little you, too - practically a dynasty!" He blinked. "Wait, does that mean that I have _twins, _now? Except - twenty-ish years apart." He frowned. "That is so messed up."

"Tell me about it," Naruto muttered, then paused. "You know - there was something I was going the show the other you - but I never really got the opportunity - "

"Hmmm?"

Naruto raised his hand, and focused. "I'm sure it'll work in here - it did when I beat up the fox... Look!" A sphere burst into existence, swirling in all directions as the chakra chafed against itself- and then he sharpened it, turning it into a whirling ball of shearing blades of wind._ "Fuuton: Rasengan."_

Minato's eyes were wide in astonishment. "Is that - you did it? You perfected -"

Naruto grinned, sweat running down his back - his real body was still in the hospital bet and he couldn't continue on showing off too much. Just a bit more. "Oh, I did better than that - but the other stuff is a bit too powerful to pull off in here - I'd worry about blowing my head off... The Rasenshuriken can be thrown, you know! Tsunade-baachan put it in the secret scroll - an S-Rank technique, oh yeah!"

"Amazing!" Minato exclaimed. "Ah- Kushina, our son's a genius!"

Naruto snickered. "Not really - but thanks. Jiraiya-sensei and Kakashi-sensei helped me with it. And it took a lot of time - and Shadow Clones by the hundreds." He shivered as he thought back to that training session - especially with the added urgency that was part of it at the time. Right now, it seemed like he made an impossible amount of progress in a short time - going from a B-Rank to an S-Rank shinobi in only a few years.

"I'm feeling inadequate now," Minato said, nervously scratching the back of his head. "It took me three years to develop the Rasengan, and I never did get around to the rest of it..."

"Yeah - Jiraiya-sensei was impressed when I pulled it off in a week!"

Minato coughed. "_What_."

"Tsunade-baachan made a bet with me - I spent the whole week working on it, until I pulled it off. I'm sure you can find that memory in here, somewhere." He laughed at his father's expression.

"I must be an idiot," Minato said in a tortured voice, slumping.

Naruto snorted. "You're still considered the finest Ninja that Konoha ever produced, you can't whine."

Minato rolled his eyes. "Yes, well - Jiraiya-sensei does have a big mouth like that. I think he wants everyone to think that he's the best teacher ever, now that he's too old to keep up with the younger folk."

"The Raikage agrees with him." He raised an eyebrow. "Actually, you sort of become a legend - heroic sacrifice, and all that."

"Oh, brother."

"_Dad_."

Minato twitched, looking a little uncomfortable, then he looked serious again. "Naruto - as nice as a little meeting is - there are things we should discuss. Important things." He paused. "With me - gone - I'm sure that they'll pick a new Hokage -"

"Actually - the last time this happened, the Third took up the hat again." He frowned. "You know, the Third has this weird theory that I might be you - just with brain damage or something. So - I have no clue how things are gonna go this time around."

"Me with brain damage? I can see why they thought that." Minato chuckled at Naruto's affronted expression. "I kid, I kid. In any case, I need you to relay a message or two, since I seem to be unable. But first - do you know of the masked man that attacked the village?"

"Yes," Naruto sighed, frowning. "It's Obito."

"_What_?" Minato frowned in confusion, and he narrowed his eyes. "My Obito? No - how could he - he survived? Why would someone like that ever..." He muttered to himself, scowling. "I - I don't understand who could have forced him to behave like that, but... I believe you. You _would _know everything."

"Obito - it was a mess," Naruto said. "Everything _has _been rather crazy - just take my word for that, it's been completely hectic. But it all worked out in the end. Even if we lost many great people along the way..." He sighed. "Since - since I'm here, and I'm probably stuck... maybe I can help."

"At least I am not leaving you with a mystery to unravel." Minato let out a relieved breath. "I was afraid that your future had gone terribly wrong - and you tried to escape with a Hiraishin, but it seems like I worried needlessly. When I tried to find images of your future, I didn't know what any of it meant." He looked away, troubled. "Obito, huh?"

"I still have no idea what I should do." Naruto admitted. "I always had a goal - or a challenge - but this situation is too difficult even for me to predict. I can write the future again, since it never was written from where we are standing now. Yet, what if I do something that makes it all for the worse?"

"You lived through a Shinobi War, and was the Hokage-to-be, yet you still have doubts about yourself?" Minato reached out towards the bars of the gate - there was a tiny spec yellow of lightning zapping right at his fingers as he snatched his hand away at the very last second. "Ah - not to worry, it does that." He flexed his fingers gingerly. "I meant to say, that you shouldn't be afraid of uncertainty while making choices, since it's the uncertainty itself that proves your wisdom. "

"Is that a quote?" Naruto asked, looking nervously at the gate. "Tsunade-baachan said something like that when I asked her about the wrong choices."

"It comes with the hat." Minato winked. "Hokage is a position with many responsibilities. A Jinchuuriki carries a beast inside, and the Hokage, after a fashion, has to carry the troubles of whole village inside him in the same way. Konoha - it's a beautiful place." Minato found the eyes of his son again, and he shrugged. "Yet you are old enough to have known that there are shadows in the hidden village. It comes with what were are taught to do - how we are raised to behave. To kill, to hide, to lie. The will of fire sounds like an unattainable dream, yet where friendship means closing one eye, love means closing both of them. To turn a blind eye to Konoha's faults. You cannot have a perfect world. It is a good dream, however. And pursuing that dream is a worthy cause."

"I think I understand." Naruto moved to touch the gates. They didn't shock him, but they hummed on that small contact, as if some sort of energy had been flowing through them. "What is that?" He asked quietly.

"The seal was built to absorb the Kyuubi chakra into your system - now, there's no Kyuubi, just - me." Minato gestured at himself.

"My seal is _eating _you?" Naruto's eyes widened and he moved his hand towards the small paper seal hanging on his side of the gate.

"Don't!" Minato jumped forward and got another jolt from the gate, and he sheepishly waved his hand from the sudden shock. "If you open it up, this version of me will be lost!"

"But if I leave it be - you will be gone, too!" Naruto held the white small patch that could open the gate in a second. "And it is _hurting _you, isn't it?"

"I have a while yet," Minato pointed out. "I told you."

"Are you really sure?" Naruto took a step back. "This seal is more draining than the one you made, since it was supposed to channel all of the Kyuubi, rather than only a few tails' worth." With dread, he realised that his father had become slightly bleaker throughout the conversation. Maybe even transparent.

"That's even more of a reason to speak about everything, before you go back."

"Go back -" Naruto realized just what had made him aware of the connection and send him into the depths of his mind. "Kakashi!"

"Time flows more slowly here - there is no hurry." Minato frowned. "Is Kakashi alright? I hope he is - he has great potential and an even greater heart - yet, his life wasn't kind to him. Kakashi could be a great friend."

"He was." Naruto grinned. "He was the weirdest and most impossible sensei I have ever had. Yet, at the very same time, he also taught me a lot of things I hold dear - and he was the one to tell me the true secret of the Kage Bunshin."

"Good. I know you must have taught him something too."

Naruto laughed. "A thing or two."

"So - you met _my _Kakashi," Minato said. "Just before arriving here, I take it?"

"He looked so young." Naruto said the first thing that came to his mind. "When he entered the room - it was like seeing a dream. It was like some teenager just barged in, rather than the veteran I'm used to."

"Yet, he is that hardened veteran already - don't forget that. He's a product of his age, of this war we have just had." Minato sighed. "He has lost great many things in his life, and it seems like it's always losses rather than achievements that shape the people into their true image."

"He looked so - broken just now."

"I see," Minato crossed his arms and paced around for a while. "Maybe-" He stilled for a bit. "No, you were right, earlier. Days was too a generous estimation. Probably hours instead. You did a good job on the seal - I should commend you."

Naruto looked away. "Is there anything I could do for you?"

"Protect Konoha." Minato began slowly. "Learn. Love. Live."

Naruto shook his head. "I meant for _you. _I'd do those things anyway."

Minato grinned at that. "Well - you could help me say my goodbyes, I suppose." He fell silent for a moment, his smile wavering. "Kushina perished together with me. Little Naruto - take care of him, will you? He could use an older brother, and I hope you would benefit from that. Tell him about me, someday when he will understand. Apologize for me."

"Of course - that's a given. Anyone else?"

"Sarutobi - that is, the Third Hokage." Minato took a deep breath. "Tell him that he was right the first time we met. I _am _crazy enough to sacrifice my life first and think second. Yet, I do not think that he has taught me wrong - and I always had his example to learn from." He stayed silent for a moment. "He helped me get ready to be the Hokage - and I really appreciate it."

Naruto cocked his head to the side slightly. "I never really discussed you with him - but he did mention that you embodied the will of fire."

Minato shrugged at the compliment. "Next is Jiraiya. There are many things that I'd like to say to Jiraiya-sensei, most of them things that you will probably tell him yourself, given enough time in his company. Tell him - to remain how he always was. Cheerful in the face of danger, serious in the meeting of a council and insightful in all delicate matters. His heart is in a right place, and by moving around the world he has corrected more wrong that I have in my time as Hokage."

"I'll speak to Ero-sennin for you," Naruto agreed, and he chuckled at Minato's amused expression. "I swear."

"That man never changes. Who else - ah... Mikoto." Minato shook his head. "That is not my goodbye to give, but Kushina would have wanted me to, had I survived. I pass on that task to you. Tell her that she helped my wife more than anyone in the village, and that Kushina always hoped to see Sasuke and Naruto play together."

Naruto stiffened. "She's Sasuke's mother?"

"You knew him, then? I suppose you're about the same age, so that makes sense. It was meant for you to be friends."

"Friends." Naruto's expression grew serious. "Rivals. Teammates. Enemies."

"What?" Minato frowned. "What happened?"

"Obito - he arranged the whole Uchiha clan to be murdered before a coup attempt," Naruto said through his clenched teeth. "Sasuke ran away from the village, seeking power to fuel his revenge. We fought a few times. But - I always kept him as a friend, until the end."

"I see." Minato looked away tiredly. "Do not hold it against her, please. She was a good friend to your mother."

"I won't," Naruto said with conviction. "It was long ago - from my point of view - and it never truly happened if I go by today's date. Besides - if I can prevent the massacre, then maybe he won't have such a stick up his-"

"Naruto-" Minato cut in, and he smirked. "If you can, save her. Kushina would have appreciated it."

"Do you even have to ask?"

Minato looked at him, proud. "That leaves Genma's team. I don't have something special to say them. But they know bits and pieces of the Hiraishin - their own little version of it, in any case. You know of it?"

"Yes." Naruto answered. "I asked Namiashi for help once - after the war was finally over. Those three don't really know the Hiraishin - they are using a mixture of it and a summoning technique, right?"

"Help them out with perfecting what they have, would you? And see to it that they are safe. As safe as a life of an active shinobi can be, anyway."

"So that's everyone, then?" Naruto ran a hand through his hair. "Man, for someone who's bad at memorizing, this is a lot of stuff..."

Minato smirked. "There's Shimura Danzo. Tell him that the choices he wants to make, even if they look good at first, will have a price later."

Naruto shuddered as he thought of the would-be Sixth Hokage. "Yeah - don't need to say that twice."

"I see that you understand what I mean," Minato observed. "Danzo - he truly cares about Konoha," he added, thoughtful. "If given too much freedom, he would do _anything _in his power to help the village. And that would be his and Konoha's downfall."

"Danzo again..." Naruto murmured. "To borrow a phrase - troublesome."

"There is one last person that I should leave a message for - though I'd never expected that I'd get the chance." Minato took a deep breath. "Obito."

Naruto blinked in surprise. "Eh?"

Minato looked uncomfortable. "You said he's alive - I don't know how to better put this, since I have no idea what I might have done wrong in teaching him. He was always - so cheerful and loving. I can't imagine him harming Konoha like that, not willingly." He paused, looking away. "If you see him - ask, alright? Ask him why - from the man who watched him grow up."

"Alright," Naruto had a dangerous gleam in his eyes as he said it. "I'm going to find out everything there is to know about that." He sighed. "I suppose that was everyone, finally?"

Minato shrugged helplessly. "Well... I don't know if I want you to say something special to anyone else. For shinobi who are loyal - maybe make sure they understand that I am sorry that I couldn't keep protecting them longer, but if I could have - I would."

There was a long, uncomfortable pause. Minato sighed. "I think, you should tear that seal, after all."

"What?" Naruto shook his head. "But you said-"

"My purpose was over the moment I realized that you were my son. My wish was granted the second I learned what you have achieved in your life. I am an echo, Naruto, memories and dreams of the man I was, caught in chakra. Keeping me here would not bring you happiness, be it a couple of hours or even the whole week. It is better to end this in one decisive stroke, one last breath of freedom."

"Are you sure?" Naruto rubbed his eyes with his left hand, while reaching out with his right. "Maybe there is another way? Maybe you'll remember something else you needed to tell me! And why didn't you leave any sort of words for Kakashi?"

"Caught that, did you?" Minato winked. "When you tear the gate down, I will get a minute of freedom, the minute that I intended to use to seal the Kyuubi. Last words, if you will. If anyone could use those, it's Kakashi. I will try not to leave you empty handed, either - I'm just an echo, but I know a few tricks. You'll know what I mean after I'm gone."

Naruto took a deep breath. "So - this is it?"

"Yes."

Naruto tensed. "Alright - Goodbye, dad." He tore down the tiny piece of paper and the gust of wind tore at the gate. They shattered and fell down, irreparably broken, and Minato took a step towards him. Another. Nothing stopped him this time, and he ruffled Naruto's hair, before he wrapped him in a brief hug. "Live long and always listen to your heart."

And then he was not there anymore, vanishing in a whirlpool of chakra.

* * *

Naruto's eyes flickered open, and he stared momentarily, confused. The Sharingan was gone; only one eye of Kakashi's was staring at him in pure terror, shaking him ever so slightly. Clearly the boy was unwilling to touch him too strongly, considering all the bandages.

Naruto's hand moved by itself, touching down firmly on top of Kakashi's silver bundle of hair. Then, it ruffled them. The gesture was so familiar, yet at the same time - so incredibly alien. Naruto couldn't have imagined how he would have ever gotten the idea to do so.

"Sensei?" Kakashi's voice echoed strangely in the small room. "Do you need me to call help?" He looked pained. "I'd get in trouble, but -"

"I am alright," Naruto felt his own voice answer with a certain degree of calmness that he did not have. "Kakashi, have you been skipping out on sleep again? I can tell."

Kakashi grumbled something under his breath. Naruto didn't catch it.

His lips started to move once again, and Naruto felt that if he wanted - he could have stopped the whole thing, cut the thread, yet he didn't. He just let it felt incredibly weird - incredibly wrong - but he could bear it, for his father.

"You keep dreaming of her," the shade of Minato said through his son. "It is not your fault. You need to stop beating yourself up about it, you had your time of pain and regret. She was the one who made the choice. And, Rin held to that choice until the very end - you can't blame her for remaining truthful to herself. Nor can you keep blaming yourself for your own choices."

"Why are you telling me this?" Kakashi asked, a few tears running down from his eye, and his hitai-ate looked suspiciously moist, too.

"No one is immortal, Kakashi. You know that even more than some others. I will not be able to watch over you like I'd like to. I need you to get your head straight."

"But-"

Naruto let his hand ruffle the hair one last time. Inside he felt weird, restrained - whatever effect his father's spectre had, it was fading fast.

"The war took away your childhood." Naruto felt his voice cracking and started helping the process, by guessing at what his father wanted to say. "You need to take a moment for yourself and try to find what you are missing, to break the limits you have set with your beliefs. Please, Kakashi, live for me if not for yourself."

"Don't speak like you're going to die!" With that one sentence, Naruto's vision of Kakashi shattered. Gone was the extremely competent yet extravagant shinobi. In his place, for the short while, there was Kakashi - the fourteen year old boy, afraid for the life of his last friend and teacher.

"Everyone dies. We shinobi just get to choose _how_."

And then, there was nothing. Minato was gone.

"Kakashi," Naruto called the name the same way his father had - with a hint of compassion and sadness, but a moment, he wondered what he should say. He could not just come out and tell the boy that his sensei had just - He could not tear the boy's hope apart, not here, not now. What came out was: "I'll take care of you - I promise."

"Minato-sensei," Kakashi leaned forward, gave the shortest hug in the history of short hugs, and then jumped back, putting on his black fabric mask once again - Naruto did not have the time to marvel over the fact that he had seen under it for the first time. "Thank you..." the teen said, and there was a pause. "You're not going to tell anyone that I broke the rules, are you?"

Naruto smiled tiredly. "Those who break the rules are trash, isn't that right, Kakashi? But those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash." He gestured weakly to the door. "I don't remember seeing anyone."

Kakashi saluted shortly. "I will wait until you're healed up, then."

Naruto looked a little troubled at that prospect, but kept his comments to himself. There was a knock from the other side of the door at that moment.

"Five minutes have passed," came a muffled warning from outside.

"Oh!" Kakashi jumped like he had just been hit. "Gai - we're leaving!" he shouted through the door. He picked up the ANBU, dusted off his vest a bit, and straightened the animal mask. "There - good as new." He dragged the ANBU to the door, and he revealed his Sharingan once more; he was very careful not to look Naruto directly in the eyes.

"Get well, Sensei." he said softly as the door closed behind him.

Naruto was alone.

* * *

Roarian was fixing stuff and ended up writing around 33% of the chapter.


	5. A Sea of Lightning

**Steal My Thunder God**

**Chapter IV - A Sea of Lightning**

* * *

Even with a storm overhead, a slight rumble could be heard from under the ground, a shiver of grass that was caused by neither rain nor wind. The tremor was just strong enough to catch Uchiha Nobu's attention. Frowning in confusion, he reached down to touch the trembling soil. He could feel it moving ever so slightly, almost as if- In that instant he felt something altogether _wrong, _and he caught a muffled chakra spike with his Sharingan.

It was bubbling up directly under him.

Nobu leapt upwards from his position the moment his mind caught up with his senses, and it was barely enough to save his life. The world was engulfed in flames as an array of explosions erupted from underneath, shattering the surface of the earth like glass and sending trees and boulders flying in all directions with a monstrous roar.

"Intruders!" he shouted as a tongue of rising flames caught his left foot, burning through his footwear as it it was not even there - he cried out in pain as he slashed downwards at the shadows in the ground, hoping to catch whoever was hiding in the conflagration. Unfortunately, he quickly realized that the allies who could have used his warning were nowhere to be found - they had been caught in the very epicentre of the explosion, and blood covered much of the soil where the camp had been. Then the earth parted to eat the remnants of it whole, and even that was erased.

"So I'm the last one, huh?" Nobu grimaced as he spun around in mid-air, launching a kunai with a chakra thread tied to it at a tree further away, pulling himself towards it. It was a good call, since another explosion shook the ground where he had just been, a shower of heated stones just barely missing him. In seconds, it was as if a Konoha outpost was never there - there was only the blackened earth, hungrily pleading for more blood, churning violently.

"Invasion," the Konoha nin muttered in realization, forcing himself to focus on the attackers, to find out their origin. If these shinobi were smart enough to ambush border guards from below, then they had probably prepared for any attempt to get word out - there had to be at least one other that was blocking the nearest route to Konoha, ready to take out anyone who escaped. Right now, that was him.

Spinning like a giant spider on silk thread, he swerved around his axis, launching a few more kunai blindly towards where he expected the nin to be hiding, hoping to flush them out. Meanwhile he quickly backed up, pausing on a swaying and burning tree top. He heard a clang of metal between the trees - and now he knew the position of his enemy.

He needed to get word to Konoha, whatever the cost - his life was most likely forfeit against a force of several powerful shinobi, and such a force would not be sent across the border without a mission - a mission of war. It was his quick getaway alone that allowed him a brief moment of respite, but it would not last long. The next outpost was some distance to the west - further than he would have liked, especially with an injured leg, but he did not have much choice. He had to find backup.

The rising column of smoke was hidden within darkening clouds, and soon the destruction of his camp would be completely undetectable - it could be days before anyone figured out that there had been a breach. His next leap was even faster and longer than the one before, despite the protest of his muscles.

_We're already short on people after the creature's attack - and now this? _Spotting movement from the side he dove down, dipping under the treeline, trying to hold a steady pace - there were at least three of the intruders that he had counted already that were now in hot pursuit - and they were gaining on him.

Nobu only barely dodged a kick and landed solidly on the bark of a nearby tree as the enemy shinobi perched around him. Escape suddenly seemed very unlikely, and he swallowed thickly. _Iwa. It's Iwa! _His red eyes met the dark gaze of a kunoichi in a bright red uniform.

"And here's the runaway. Pathetic. How did your village defeat a Bijuu, anyway?" She shook her head in disgust as she approached, staring at him with pitch black pupil-less eyes, her short black hair clinging to her face, wet from the rain. "Aren't going to attack me, little Konoha nin? Or are you already done?"

Nobu cursed under his breath, hoping for at least a good hit or two - he wasn't a Jounin for nothing - he quickly gathered his chakra, breathing in a heavy gulp of air. When he breathed it out again, a steaming storm of raging fire left his lips, threatening to engulf her whole. _"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"_

The kunoichi did not even bother to dodge as her hands flashed through a couple of quick seals. "You dare use _fire _against _me?_" she yelled as she spat pure _lava _back at him. The firestorm parted, unmatched against the blazing substance that burned with incredible heat, and it was absorbed into the rolling force.

The burning tide slammed into Nobu's chest, his Jutsu disrupted from the sheer pain that overloaded his senses, and he dropped like a felled tree, his weakening hands trying to lash out with a kunai in a last dying effort. The kunai clattered on the ground uselessly as his burning lungs protested against the abuse, and he let out a whimper against the ravaging heat.

"You - won't -"

"Spare your breath, Uchiha." the kunoichi leaned over, narrowing her eyes. "I want you to know who killed you so you can tell it to your ancestors. I am Kurome, daughter of the Tsuchikage." She smiled slightly as she grasped a kunai. "Any last words, before I cut out those pretty little orbs of yours?"

"Never!" he growled, and his fist lashed out with the desperate strength of the dying - his fist glanced by her cheekbone and she flinched aside, her hand clasping around his throat which was having trouble even getting enough air. He choked against the hold.

Kurome smiled. "There, that's better, isn't -"

He spat in her face.

"Disgusting," the kunoichi snapped with a sneer, and she narrowed her eyes dangerously. Then she spat right back - and the Uchiha screamed as burning hot lava tore into his face, biting straight through his nose, his eyes, though the pain quickly made way for convulsions, and his thoughts grew sluggish and indistinct. He stiffened, and slumped down as his last breath left him.

Kurome sniffed. "That was too good for you, swine." She released the dead body and it slowly vanished into the ground like those before it, destroyed as effectively as it could be. "Gari!" she called. "Explain yourself."

The earth parted, and a huge mass of spiked brown hair emerged followed by a shinobi with Iwa's hitai-ite wrapped around his arm. He shortly glanced at the trees and returned his attention back to the Kunoichi. "Apologies, Kurome-san. The Uchiha noticed our movements with his Sharingan. It would have gotten too complicated if I did not make a move. It also served as an adequate test- we now know that our seals work perfectly," he said in a careless tone, but there was a drop of excitement shining through in his eyes. "I did miscalculate in my attempt to dispose of all four of them with one explosion. It is good that you caught the injured one."

Kurome huffed in annoyance. "Fine. But please remember, we have orders for an _unseen approach."_

"I was not seen, Kurome-san," Gari replied nonplussed. "And even if that were not the case - the Uchiha is now unable to report it in. I would call that a success."

Another Iwa nin jumped down from the treetops, nodding at both of them. "There is no sign of Konoha reinforcements, thankfully. It seems unlikely that with the cover of a thunderstorm anyone caught wind of the explosion."

"Gari," Kurome crossed her arms. "We are lucky this time, but if this happens again, we might end up compromised too far from our mission objective. Can I expect your best from now on? No more miscalculations?"

He inclined his head, with a small content smirk, his hair holding form even under rain. "I will aim for better precision in the future," he announced. "I don't think this will be a problem again. You know me."

"I do know you, Gari," she muttered, shaking her head. "That's why I'm worried." She sighed. "I should have picked someone else..."

"Out of all Explosion Corps members, I'm one best suited for this," he stated it with utmost confidence. "I see no reason for you to have picked someone else. Especially since your father insisted, didn't he?"

Kurome sighed, nodding tiredly. "Well - that was enough excitement for the moment. Back underground, I would think. We don't have much leeway on this mission."

Gari crossed his arms silently sunk back into the soil below, quickly followed by Kurome. Only hungry, gaping jaws of blackened glass were left in their wake.

* * *

Naruto's clone frowned as he glanced around the corner into the long hallway that followed, realizing that his sneaking would only get him so far - soon enough he would run into someone that was good enough to see through his basic stealth techniques. Still, he had to figure out what his options were in this time, who had the reins, so he needed access to more places than a single little room where only the Third and Jiraiya bothered to inform him of what they thought he should know. Maybe he could check up on the people he knew were alive right now, or at least get a scope of the place.

There was only one option: He would have to skip sneaking and go straight to subterfuge. His _Henge _was effective enough to do the job - a remarkably powerful technique to teach Academy Students, really - but he would also have to act like the person he was mimicking, and there was really only one guise that could move through the hospital's most guarded rooms without drawing suspicion. The ANBU.

He had gotten lucky when he sneaked past the first one - he supposed that the man did not expect anyone to come from inside the room, so he did not care that he had a blind spot there. Now, he would probably not have such an easy time. Even with his considerable skill, the ANBU were among the best of the village in their respective fields - and even though he was a clone, his wounds would get in the way.

No matter - he had gone undercover before, when he had to. Naruto forced his aching body to mimic the methodical gait of the ANBU - unassuming and simple, though deceptive in how it betrayed none of the walker's wariness or strength. It was something he had picked up from Captain Yamato, mostly by necessity, because his usual style of rushing through was incredibly obvious and would alert absolutely everyone to his position. He supposed that his old teacher was now a kid again - though remembering Itachi, that was no real disqualifying factor for the ANBU.

He smiled at the thought of a pint-sized captain, and wondered whether or not he could already rule by fear - or if he'd just come across as Konohamaru in a huff.

Crossing the hallway into a larger room, Naruto spotted an ANBU, and he prepared himself for the worst - he could pop himself if things got too hairy. The ANBU was wearing a Magpie mask and came across as quite young, even if her face was not visible - perhaps it was the sliver of pale skin that was visible that tipped him off. She had most likely been promoted recently, maybe hurried through certification in response to the Kyuubi's attack, since the ANBU tended to wait with recruitment except in those rare cases where a young person's skill was phenomenal.

Naruto hid a frown under his _Henge _and reminded himself that he could not afford to give away any sort of reluctance here, or he'd tip her off immediately. He walked closer to her like he was supposed to be there, hoping that he could talk his way out of the inevitable spar of words.

Magpie signaled with a quick hand sign, an almost unseen flicker of her fingers that was gone as soon as it appeared. It was simultaneously a question and a confirmation of her identity as ANBU. Naruto smiled in relief, glad that he knew the proper response - the signaling language changed little over the years, mostly because it was not meant so much as a code which could be broken, but a silent alternative language for swift and price commands or questions. There were several different dialects of sorts, so that any spies would not have an easy time decoding individual messages in the heat of battle, but all ANBU learned the basics.

_I think Tsunade-baachan's insistence about this was a good thing after all..._

Naruto signalled back that he had a task for the Hokage he couldn't specify further, and Magpie nodded nonchalantly in response, much to his relief. He was terribly glad he had learned most of these ANBU signs now, even if they had been a pain in the ass. Tsunade had been adamant that he should learn the signs as preparation for his eventual rise to the position of Hokage - and Naruto had reluctantly settled for actually studying something, which was not exactly his best quality.

It took him about twice as long as most ANBU, and he learned a lot more lewd or foul-mouthed expressions than were strictly necessary, but he got through it in the end. He was convinced that Tsunade had looked more relieved than he himself had felt. After that, he had reacted to any innocent hand movement around him with a twitch of discomfort for weeks thereafter, sometimes appalled by what he saw people say - even if it was accidental half the time. It did not help that Sai constantly signaled the most offensive crap he could think of, and nobody but Naruto had any idea what he had just said. Naruto was certain _that _had been entirely on purpose.

_I'll have to thank Tsunade-baachan when I -_ Naruto frowned to himself, and the thought screeched to a halt as his rational side caught up with him - a little slow, as always. There was a pretty good chance that he would never return home to talk to Tsunade, or at least a version that would recognize him. The possibility refused to budge from the forefront of his mind as he considered what he knew of Time-Space techniques. The clone shook his head forcefully as he passed out of Magpie's sight. It was a problem for Boss - not for a clone like him. He had other things to deal with. Like setting up an escape route.

He passed by another ANBU, and used the same signals as before - judging by the soft wails he heard, he was quite close to the little Boss, now. Without hesitance he opened the next door, resting his hand on the doorsill as he glanced inside. The nursery was not a large room, and that made it look even more crowded that it already was; Naruto had never seen so many babies in one place. There were more than a dozen, including a few that looked over a year old, and others which were much younger.

This was the most guarded section of the hospital aside from the Hokage's private section, so these children had to be here for a reason. The most obvious reason that came to mind was also an uncomfortable one for Naruto - they were probably orphans like himself. He wondered what had happened to many of these kids in his own time, since he had only met a few orphans besides himself. Had some of them died, or was he simply unaware of the fate of the civilian children, who might be mixed in with the future shinobi? Perhaps some of these very babies would be used for someone's nefarious purpose, like Danzou or Orochimaru?

Only two of the children were wide awake at the moment; little Naruto - of course - and a small girl with gossamer locks of dark hair that looked uncomfortably around herself as she was softly rocked back and forth in an effort to calm her down. The woman that sat by her bedside was probably a medical-nin, and looked up momentarily to take in Naruto's arrival. Her task was apparently proving difficult, since little Naruto hadn't settled his wails yet, protesting against the cold even as he pushed his little blanket aside.

"Sandaime Hokage-sama left two minutes ago," the ANBU at his side remarked quietly, watching the clone closely. Naruto realised with a gulp that the man might have noticed something off with his Henge, and tried to play it cool. Panic was what usually gave away people in the infiltration missions. This infiltration mission would easily rank 'A', he was sure - and they had never been his strong suit. He nodded absently, his hand still not releasing the edge of the door as he cocked his head to the side placidly.

"I was told Sandaime-sama would be in here. I seem to have missed him, then. Where can I find him?" Naruto concentrated on his cupped hand, manipulating his stubborn chakra into the shape he required. The stories about his father made it sound easy, but Naruto found the process of placing a seal without the aid of ink or paper to be exceedingly annoying and time-consuming. He could not do so with the barest of touches, like Jiraiya insisted his father had been able to, but Naruto found that his chakra only sluggishly responded, carving itself into the proper shape only after a solid half minute. Completely useless in a fight, for now.

The ANBU raised an eyebrow. "He has returned to the tower, I would expect. He is due to return here in several hours, so it would be best to go directly there with your message." The man glanced aside. "Did you come from _that _room?"

With the quickest of nods, Naruto signaled an 'all clear' and moved away, leaving the little Boss alone - the ANBU let him go. He hoped the subtle imprint of chakra he had left on the door would pass inspection. Even if it did not, ANBU were likely familiar with the _Hiraishin _seal,and would probably not find it odd that their Hokage arranged for transport to the village's most guarded locations. Especially while his child was in there.

If he ever had to run from the village, Naruto knew he could flash in here with the _Hiraishin _to take little Naruto. He would not allow his young self to end up in the orphanage again. The seal would probably hold for a week or two, which was plenty of time to decide on the course of action.

On his way back - he ran into something he had not expected. Not at all.

In truth, Kakashi had hidden himself well, but Naruto practically felt his sensei's gaze burning into his back as he came close to the corner where he was holed up. He could take a guess at the reason he was here, now.

"Yo," he said carelessly, in imitation of his sensei, not breaking his stride. He could barely hold in a snort when Kakashi's wide eye followed him all the way to the corner. Naruto's gaze flicked to Gai as well, refraining from saying anything in fear of the green-clad terror replying loudly and drawing attention.

If Kakashi and Gai could get past the ANBU security, did that speak for their skill at such a young age, or about the sloppy, overworked state of ANBU just a week after the Kyuubi's attack? Either way, it was not _his _problem, the clone decided after a short debate. _Boss is going to have such a headache, later_.

The clone had to get some good old reconnaissance done. And he knew just where to start.

* * *

The air outside was cool, bordering on chilling, and dark storm clouds amassed above the village. Naruto did not even want to imagine the terrible cold of the next morning. He stood on the roof of what had been one of Konoha's archives, though he was not sure what it was used for in this time, and considered his next move.

It was raining, and it looked like it would continue for a while, still - more dark clouds approached from afar, and lightning lashed at the horizon, briefly lighting up the air, though the rumbles they caused were muted and indistinct. The clone shuddered, realizing in annoyance that being _cold _and _wet _was not going to help him at all. Running amok in the rain did not appeal to him, but he supposed beggars could not be choosers. At least the downpour would help to hide his presence from patrols.

And the patrols were _everywhere_.

_Uchiha_, Naruto realized with a start when he spotted one of the groups, their famous fan visible on the back of their clothes. _It's the Konoha Military Police Force. _He had not seen them in action since he was a small child, and his memory was rather hazy, since they had been disbanded after the massacre that left Sasuke as the only Uchiha in Konoha. It looked like patrol knew what they were doing, too - they crossed the streets in wide formation, but close enough to assist each other at first sign of trouble.

The presence of the Uchiha was convincing evidence that he really was back in time - he could not imagine anyone getting away with faking that after the massacre - but that was not the greatest that he saw. He could see the destruction that had been brought upon Konoha, even from here. His gaze wandered over the town, stopping at the vast swathes of it that were simply _gone. _Whole neighbourhoods had been flattened by Kurama's assault, huge areas reduced to splinters and soot.

Fires still burned, huge piles of debris piled high into the sky, and the terrible chakra of an enraged Kurama hung in the air even now, thick and malicious. He could almost imagine the monstrous creature there, snarling as it lashed out, destroying with a single breath. Granted, Naruto was probably much more receptive than most shinobi, being a Sage and a Jinchuuriki - former - but the feeling was unmistakable. This was Konoha, and he really was seeing the aftermath of the Nine-Tails' attack.

It looked worse than he had expected. And he had expected some _terrible _things.

A chill ran down his back, and the clone tried to look away. It was ancient history, especially for him, and he could not change what happened there. Right now, he had to take care of gathering information, and that was all.

The first step would be to get a more durable false identity, and he focused on that, glad to have something else to worry about than all the people who had died. Someone would recognize his mask, and then he'd be screwed - he needed one that wasn't a duplicate. One particular idea came to mind, and it was just crazy enough for his taste.

The ANBU Headquarters were nearby. That would be his first destination. Procuring an actual ANBU uniform would reduce his chakra expenditure rate, since he was slowly losing some to maintain his _Henge_, and would eventually run out. It was something he had never had to worry about before - he always had chakra to spare.

The rain picked up and the clone shivered from the sudden bout of cold water running down his body. Using _Henge _of thick clothes offered no real warmth. Contrary to popular belief, clones could actually feel the shifts in temperature, and if it got too bad, they would probably pop. When a sudden gust of wind almost froze his privates off, the clone made an impressive dash towards his goal, hoping that the confusion and clean-up in the wake of Kyuubi's attack would make this easier than it usually would be.

The Headquarters looked only slightly worse for wear. Rain was rushing inside at a steady pace, and there were a couple of ANBU running around in a manner not entirely becoming to their air of professionalism, but it seemed like most of the building had survived the attack without too much trouble. The rain revealed gaps in the hasty repairs, and Naruto slipped inside without too much fuss; even if he had been seen, there were enough ANBU around that one more would not really stand out.

No one stopped him when he, wet and cold, ran into one of the supply chambers at the closed off part of the building, where water gushed through the ceiling. He grabbed a spare uniform and quickly threw it on, before grabbing an unattended mask - it looked brand new - and slipping it onto his face. His _Henge _faded and he sighed in relief. At that moment, another ANBU burst in.

"Who - _oh_, Boar - that makes sense." The Frog ANBU nodded. "Right - Take some of these supplies to the front entrance so they can be moved to the secondary location." He paused. "Also - try to remember that you have to warn someone, before going in here. You might be mistaken for an intruder - not that there's much to find right now." The man cocked his head to the side. "You're injured."

Naruto cursed as he glanced down to the bloodied bandage that peeked from behind his clothes. "It's alright - it's just dried blood. Wounds kept opening up - never did change the bandages."

"Hospital didn't have time, I suppose." The ANBU nodded. "Yeah, I hear they've got bigger problems right now, down in the civilian sector. And then there's Hokage-sama, of course. If you think you're well enough, grab one of the boxes, and I'll do the same."

Naruto nodded, clasping his hands around one of the boxes filled with uniforms and masks, and carrying it out. "Everyone seems like they're about to burst," he babbled, unsure of how to deal with a talkative ANBU - he had honestly no experience with any. "It's seriously off-putting."

"Yeah - us newbies didn't even get the usual hazing." The ANBU snorted. "Badger only made it a few hours before he collapsed, you know - and I hear that Magpie's found herself a cushy job inside." He groaned. "I figured I would see your face - or mask - around here one of these days. I am told you've been put through the ringer."

"Right," Naruto said nervously as he dropped off his box, relieved to find that none of the other ANBU even commented as they turned around and returned to the supply room. He did not really have an opening to leave, and resigned himself to helping out for a while.

"Actually, I heard you were kicked out," Frog said with a tone of humour. "What did you do, convince them to take you back because of the attack? I know there's a bunch of people who were taken back just for the low numbers - that's pretty ballsy."

"Something like that." Naruto agreed as he dragged along the next box. "Let's just get this done, shall we? We can discuss war stories some other time." He sighed, glancing outside tiredly. He was reminded of the destruction again as he saw smoke rise in the distance. "Man, the village is a mess."

"Yes - but it will recover," the ANBU said easily. "The will of fire remains strong, and that is key." He nodded. "_You_ look tired as hell, though. Might want to take a nap, since you're no use if you collapse. Just more pressure on the medical-nin, actually."

"Yeah - I'll get some time for that soon, I'm sure." Naruto shrugged. "The way my muscles protest, feels like I haven't moved in days. I don't think I'd get back up if I stopped to take a rest. And it seems like every hand is useful."

"It's your funeral."

As they got the second set of boxes down to the entrance, one of the ANBU there gestured to the side. "Place it there, someone else will take care of it." Naruto did as he was told, his heart beating faster with a short pang of fear, for he recognised the man as the team leader - there was a small marking on one of his shoulders. That meant more experience - and a possibility that he had just been caught.

"Boar."

Naruto turned, slowly. "Yes, sir?"

"I need you to bring this to the guards posted at the eastern wall." The ANBU gave startled Naruto a small, sealed scroll. "After you've done that, get some rest, and return for other duties tomorrow. You look like you could use it."

"Yes, sir," he acknowledged, trying to keep the relief from sounding in his voice.

"Told you," Frog said from his side. "Look - when things quiet down a little, look me up, alright? I figure the new guys should stick together, and you're the only one I don't really know yet. We meet at Ichiraku Ramen from time to time, do you know it?"

Naruto nodded gingerly. "Wasn't it destroyed?"

"First thing we rebuilt," Frog said cheekily. "Now - you'd better go, Boar. Wouldn't want to get in trouble."

Naruto grunted in agreement, giving a quick wave before storming off. He frowned as he wondered what Frog would think when he found out that the real Boar probably did get tossed out of ANBU, and he was a fake. Well - that was not his problem.

_What to do now? _If he did the assignment he had been given, the real Boar would be expected to report back. If he did not, however, that could cause some confusion and the hunt for the impostor would begin. He was pretty sure that if nobody suspected him already, that probably would get Jiraiya on his trail, and that would be _troublesome._

Naruto sighed as his stolen clothes were drenched in seconds, and the water ran down the back of his mask and into his eyes. It was tricky, running in such a tempest, but at least it was not quite as cold as before. The inner layer of the ANBU uniform would stay dry and warm for quite some time, thankfully.

As he passed close to the center of town and saw the devastation, lightning finally moved directly overhead - and like a hammer from heaven, sheer power poured down towards the village, slamming into one of the taller buildings with a crackling shock. A shower of burning wood and displaced roof tiles blew outwards towards the street below. That was not the worst of it - the shock had displaced something, the shock wave travelling through the side of the building as it sagged ever so slightly. And then a little more.

He dashed forward with all the speed of an experienced shinobi, his attempt at stealth forgotten as he could already see what was about to happen. A single _Shunshin _sped up his progress, and a couple of dangerously fast leaps on the wet, windy surface allowed him to reach the street at speed. It was not often that Naruto would try an approach that careless, but it was key. Above him, the edifice groaned.

He half-rolled and half-slid to halt at the very edge of the tall building, where fire was fighting a losing battle against the rainstorm, though it had been hidden from the outside. It was coming down, one way or another - the building was doomed. Civilians were everywhere around him, staring at him nervously, and there was also an Uchiha, sitting on the street staring through bloodshot eyes, with half a destroyed roof tile besides him.

Naruto took him away first, unceremoniously dragging the nin further along the road, avoiding another shower of fire that sent the civilians fleeing and nearly singed his scalp. After dropping the startled man around the corner, well out of harm's reach, he ran back in the fray, the ominous groaning becoming clear even to those without enhanced hearing.

He darted forward, pushing bits and pieces of rubble out of the way, kicking the flaming doors to the side. "Get out!" He shouted at the nearest civilian - some woman holding onto the hand of her older mother. "Get everyone out of the street - if you see any shinobi, send them here! I could use the help!"

A supporting beam shifted slightly threatening to pour the rain of debris on top of them. The clone jumped forward and caught it with his hands, bracing to hold it in place. "Hurry! I can't hold it for long!"

There were more civilians than he had anticipated of course, just his luck.

At least, he noted with desperate attempt to hold a roof that was heavier than he could lift, they took his order to heart. There were at least five left that he could see, and he forced himself to keep the beam up, knowing that he would pop if he slipped up even a little, and they would all die. He counted them all as they passed him in hurry. Three women, one girl and an old man helping an injured adult.

"Is there anyone else?!" he shouted through his clenched teeth. Even if he could try gathering the Natural Energy for a momentary boost, he was afraid to do so - what if he popped too suddenly, and transferred all that dangerous energy to Boss? There was no guarantee that in his current state - after having lost the Kyuubi chakra - he could find the balance quickly, much less if Boss had to do so without a warning, restricted by chakra suppression seals. He could only brace himself and hope for the best. "Don't you dare pop me," he muttered towards the closing fire as he felt the sudden warmth charring his gloves. "I really can't use that right now."

"I've got the last one!" came a voice that reminded Naruto tremendously of Konohamaru, if only for the briefest moment. He let go of the beam, rolling backwards almost by instinct as a part of the building crashed on the ground, burning, rain dissipating into strands of heated steam. The groaning was now joined by cracking sounds - terrible snaps that promised imminent collapse.

Joining the man in a flak jacket who had called out to him without a second thought, Naruto hurried away from the collapsing building, hoping desperately that he would not spontaneously pop from the strain. He finally paused two blocks over, alongside the civilians that he had just freed, and so did the Jounin, and let out a relieved sigh.

"That was too damn close," Naruto muttered, flopping onto his back for a second to catch his breath, desperately glad that he had been able to stay in one piece through that. The rain was refreshing for once as he worked the smoke out of his lungs.

"Thank you," someone whispered into his ear, and a little girl enveloped him into a crushing hug. Naruto stiffened for a second, then relaxed and patted her back, realizing that it was one of the civilians. She released him and he showed her a thumbs-up, like Rock Lee would have. He might have grinned at her too, but his mask was getting in the way.

"Boar," Naruto heard a man call his name, and he glanced to his side to find the shinobi that had joined him at the end, wearing a Jounin uniform. He smiled encouragingly and Naruto squinted his eyes. The man was lean, with dark hair gathering slightly upwards, though it was sagging from the rain. There were harsh lines on his face, and though not exactly old, it was clear that it had been long since the man was a child. There was something peculiarly familiar about him.

_Ojii-san. _Naruto's eyes widened as he realized the resemblance was uncanny. This was one of the Shinobi of the Sarutobi family, Naruto realised - possibly Konohamaru's father. He had to tread carefully, here. "Sarutobi-san."

The Jounin had a curious expression on his face for a second, but then it was replaced by an enigmatic smile. He glanced at Naruto's burned gloves. "Thank you for your assistance." He offered his hand to help Naruto stand, supplying his name as well. "I am Junichi." That confirmed his identity then - Sarutobi Junichi, firstborn of _Ojii-san_, father of Konohamaru.

The clone did not try to pretend he wasn't exhausted from all the excitement, and accepted the offered hand, dragging himself onto his shaking feet. More shinobi were approaching now, passing by to clear out whatever remained of the burning building, though the sagging structure now seemed beyond saving, as flames lashed out of the windows. A couple of Uchiha quickly darted to the rescued civilians, moving them away from the street. Very slowly, with a certain gravitas, the building was coming down.

Junichi hummed slightly under his breath, glancing aside to Naruto. "Maybe we should move somewhere else. It's getting awfully cold out here."

"I do need to catch my breath," Naruto admitted.

The first step he took sent a spike of pain through his body, and Naruto realized that without adrenaline, the injuries that plagued Boss were back in full, and he had just aggravated them pretty well. Sometimes it was a real pain for a _Kage Bunshin _to be a near-perfect copy. The clone frowned under the mask, glad that his new acquaintance did not comment on his ambling gait.

"You did a good job out there, going out of your way to help those people," Junichi said, smiling brightly. "Especially considering I can see you're injured. Want me to help you get to the hospital?"

Naruto shrugged. "I'll live."

"I'm sure you will. I was just saying -" the Jounin never finished his thought, for at that moment an Uchiha approached them, and the words died in his throat. "Uchiha-san."

"We need help moving this pile of rubble to the side, it's in everyone's way. Quickly now."

The Jounin glanced at the debris in question, a flicker of distaste clear on his face. "I don't think it's a priority, Yakumi-san. There are other matters to attend to." He turned back to Naruto as if no one had interrupted him. "As I was going to say, with ANBU as thin-"

"Why are you doing this?!" Yakumi asked harshly as he approached, snarling. His hair, tied in a topknot, made him look rather like a pissed-off Shikamaru, which was most definitely a frightening image. "We're just asking for assistance - a little manpower, nothing more. Brushing us off as if we are nothing-"

"I'm saying you don't need it for that small thing like that." Junichi crossed his arms. "If you're against that, go ask my father for reassignments, _Uchiha_. I'm sure he'll - _consider_ your wishes."

"Don't get me started on your father!" The Uchiha gave in to the provocation, and Naruto was reminded uncomfortable of Sasuke when he was particularly incensed. He sighed.

"What is this, now?" Junichi asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Our Hokage is in the hospital - but your father is going around giving people orders like it's his turn to rule again! Just when we got a little _respect, _there he is again, making us do the dirty work!" The Uchiha spat on the ground. "Pathetic!"

Naruto twitched, closing his eyes. _I guess Sasuke got it from his family, after all._

Junichi looked like he was just waiting for Yakumi to start a brawl, managing to look defiant even as the rain utterly ruined his clothes. He seemed unsurprised about the impolite way Yakumi referred to the Third as well. Clearly this was a recurring argument. Naruto frowned, wondering if the seeds of the attempted coup that the Uchiha had been planning stretched back all the way to this time.

_Maybe Ojii-san was partially responsible after all. _Naruto shuddered at the thought, but could not deny the possibility. Sasuke had mentioned as much, in the past - or future - and he had never really taken it seriously then, but at that time the Third had been dead, incapable of defending himself. Maybe it was like this that the trouble started in the first place, just like Sasuke said.

A small crowd was gathering around the two squabbling Jounin, right in the middle of the street. Two Chuunin that were on their way somewhere else chose to linger on the nearest rooftop, watching. A couple of Uchiha walked closer as well, all from the Konoha Military Police Force. There were a handful of civilians too, a little further away. This could spiral into a real mess.

"Calm down," Naruto whispered to Junichi, placing a calming hand on his shoulder. "This is not the time for a fight."

"Not going to say anything, are you?" Yakumi took a step forward. "Hiding behind the ANBU, now?"

"Why, you-"

"_Yakumi_!" There was a shout, ringing loudly through the rain, and almost everyone cringed - Uchiha and Sarutobi alike, and even civilians. A tall man approached, another Uchiha judging by the prominent images of fans on his shoulders. "Get back to your work! Right now!"

Looking nervously over his shoulder, Yakumi sighed. "Right away, sir." He scooted away, grumbling.

"What is the commotion here?" the new arrival asked, his dark eyes briefly glancing over Naruto's mask before his gaze focused on Junichi.

Junichi visibly deflated. Naruto stared nervously, looking for a chance to get away. He knew that if this gathered too much attention, he could give himself away by making a stupid mistake. On the other hand - he rather hoped he could prevent a fight from breaking out over something so banal. It seemed that people were a lot more strained than they usually would be.

"Junichi-san," the newly arrived Uchiha said politely, if with a note of steel in his voice. He turned to Naruto and offered a short nod. "Boar."

Naruto frowned as he considered the man - he had shoulder-length black hair, and wore a matching black shirt drenched in rain and sweat, covered by a black, open-front apron with white rectangles on the bottom that hung slightly awkwardly over his shoulders, fluttering weakly in the winds. The man's face evoked the image of Itachi, though the way he set his jaws was distinctly like Sasuke.

Itachi and Sasuke's father - he had to be. Naruto remembered seeing a photo of the man, once - this was Uchiha Fugaku, head of the Uchiha clan and the leader of the Konoha Police. _Wonderful._

"Uchiha-sama," he offered quickly, as Junichi hadn't yet said a word.

Fugaku ignored him and turned to the other man, much to Naruto's relief. "Is there a problem I should know about?"

The Jounin fidgeted slightly, gathering his wits. "Everything is fine, Uchiha-san," he said.

The Uchiha Head crossed his arms, mirroring the Jounin's pose. "Is it? You and Yakumi-san have come to words several times since the attack - and before - and I find myself becoming impatient." He narrowed his eyes. "See to it that this ceases. Or I will make it stop."

Junichi grimaced, ready to respond with what would probably be a nasty remark that got him into trouble, and Naruto's hand clasped around his arm in warning.

"Don't." He shook his head. "Why are you people doing this, with all that has happened?" he asked then, breaking the uncomfortable silence as two incredulous stares met his gaze, obscured as it was by his mask. He could not stand aside, even knowing that he should. He knew above all that right now, the village could not afford to have these petty clan fights, when half the civilian sector was still in ruin.

"Boar...?" Junichi queried.

"It is clear that you have your issues with Yakumi-san, but this is not the time to settle them, nor the place," Naruto said sharply. gesturing towards the street they had just left. "Many houses are damaged from the attack, and the storm is making things worse. Right now, that should be the focus of your attention and efforts. Your dispute is not helping Konoha in the slightest, and will still remain to be pursued when things calm down."

Junichi took a long, measuring look at Naruto, and a spark of interest was plain in those eyes that were so similar to his father's. "You're one strange ANBU."

"What do you propose, Boar?" Fugaku asked after a moment, taking a measuring look at Naruto. The man sneered at his battered appearance, heavy breathing and half-burned gloves. He then followed his gesture to the collapsing building behind him, and the injured Uchiha that was leaning against the wall nearby, still bleeding from a head wound. "Should I allow insults to my clan and family, just because people are high-strung? What precedent would that set?"

"It is not my place to offer advice," Naruto announced in mildly improper tone for an ANBU, letting some of his sincerity resonate in the words. "But - I have heard that there is a saying, attributed to the first Hokage. 'In face of danger, a shinobi must ignore all distractions.' - I believe it applies here."

"And what is a distraction, in this case?" Uchiha allowed himself a small, polite smile, rain washing over his face, making him look more menacing. "Do you believe that an insult to a noble clan is a mere trifle, _boy?_"

Naruto ignored the attempt at an insult. "When a village is harmed like this, a distraction is anything that takes time from the repairs, from recovery. There are civilians who haven't found a shelter, and shinobi who cannot reach medical-nin despite their treatable injuries. Whatever trouble there is between your clans, it can't be more important than returning the stability to the people. Every true Konoha shinobi must love, believe, cherish and fight for the village's sake, as previous generations have done before them - you know this creed. The village comes _first._" Naruto paused, turning to look straight at Fugaku's eyes, however foolish the risk he took in staring into those eyes. "You are a clan leader. You know what I speak of more than most."

Junichi coughed, then. "I - Apologise, Fugaku-san, I was out of line."

Naruto glanced over. "The same goes for you - squabbles of personal nature can wait."

"I see, Boar-san. An interesting insight," Fugaku said slowly, his eyes focusing on the supposed ANBU with intensity.

Naruto nodded in recognition. "We would be glad to offer our services for your Police Force, if you require assistance. Please tend to high-priority tasks first, however. Taking out the trash is of lesser concern at this moment."

"I'm sure we can work something out," Fugaku agreed, looking content with the proposal, and that wicked smirk would not leave his face. "We're trying to clear the streets - if the water doesn't flow properly, we're going to have a flood, damaging some lower levels. And everything will end up stinking terribly as well. Without further orders, this seemed an important task to attend to."

Naruto sighed with relief. The worst was over. The tension was finally dissipating. He turned to Junichi and nodded encouragingly. "Very well, Uchiha-san. Junichi - I expect that after this matter is dealt with, you and the Uchiha clan agree on where your combined efforts would be most effective. When you are done - then you may return to your arguments. That is my advice, at least."

"I'll help, too," a civilian said. "I am not a Shinobi, but I can carry heavy things, if it's needed." He smiled sheepishly. "Seeing as I'm homeless now and I'll probably have to take up Sandaime Hokage's offer of temporary lodging, it's probably a fair payment."

"Me too," added someone else. "You Shinobi guard us during the day and night - let us help you once in awhile! We are people of Konoha too, right? We protect it as well!"

Naruto grinned behind his mask. "Now this is the _proper_ Konoha that I know and love."

Two figures jumped down from the rooftops, then. ANBU - Naruto hurried to signal his identification, but otherwise remained unmoving. Bear and Dog returned the signs quickly, but they hesitated for a split second afterwards. Had the ANBU caught up with his deception at last?

"We offer our assistance as well - within reason," Dog announced emotionlessly.

And much to Naruto's surprise, they did.

After three hours of tending to minor things - the clone was uncomfortably aware that any sharp object could spell his doom - Junichi had finally called him to the side for a break. He supposed that his obvious poor physical state, as evidenced by his hacking coughs and involuntary shivering, had been what gotten him into this particular role, but he did not protest.

Several of the Uchiha had done the heavy lifting, while the civilians mostly carried all kinds of debris from the water drainage systems. Junichi and the two ANBU walked up the walls to affix or take down broken pieces of wall or loose roof tiles that threatened to fall, and a certain camaraderie formed when the work went on for a while, and everyone was thoroughly soaked and miserable. A few small fires were taken care of as well, though even _Suiton _techniques were not powerful enough to put out the larger wildfires that took whole buildings down.

In that time, someone got an idea of sending a lighting nature nin to patrol on the rooftops, diverting the energy of the thunderstorm to the nearest lightning-rods. It was not terribly successful, but it beat doing nothing. The village, if sleeping before, was only slumbering now - lightning strikes flashed brightly every couple of minutes, and the rumble barely stopped.

Junichi was busy with hefting a former pillar when Naruto reached his side - it was now just a wet, unwieldy piece of wood that littered the ground, and he nodded with a slight smile when he saw Naruto approach.

"I think I'll take a break myself - my wrists are killing me." He waved his hands, wincing. "I would put ice on them - but I think the rain's chilly enough on its own, heh. Don't you agree, Boar-san?"

Naruto nodded carefully. "I - think I'll need to lie down for a while. I'm - not fully recovered." He pressed a hand to his side.

"I figured as much." Junichi raised an eyebrow. "Honestly, the fact that you're here at all - well, I suppose it makes sense." He nodded. "Go, then. I think Yakumi's cooled down for the moment, and I can keep the rest in check. Go get a warm bath or something."

Naruto nodded once, then stuck up a hand to the others - he got a few cheerful waves from civilians, and a blank stare from one of the Uchiha. He left, and immediately fell back into his old pattern, knowing that anyone who thought him suspicious would have time to strike, now.

_Working in plain sight for hours? What was I thinking?_

He made a few turns to confuse anyone tracking him, then hid in one of the narrow streets that were as familiar to him as the back of his hands. Of course, at the time he had hidden here before, he was a few years old, and had just come back from painting one of the local shops a lovely shade of puke-green and magenta.

Naruto couldn't hold in a laugh. "Hiding from ANBU, and all of the Konoha nin again," he muttered to himself. "Life does go in circles."

He dove into a low passage to his side, fighting the running stream of water that poured through it, hoping desperately that it didn't come from the sewers. He had once lost an especially determined ANBU with this trick - no one had expected him to be hidden behind the curtain of falling water _then_, and he sure hoped no one would _now_. Either way, the water would wash away any tracks.

He squeezed slightly further into the passage and found the secret niche he remembered. Here, where two buildings had been pushed together after the Kyuubi attack, there was a natural hiding place that had not been repaired until almost nine years later, when someone had finally found it. Since it was currently no older than a week, this safehouse fit his plans of rest perfectly.

The place smelled of old, barely edible food. His stomach growled against his will. _Kage Bunshin don't need food,_ he reminded himself as he fought a losing battle with his appetite. Oh, how much he would like to head to the ramen stand and just eat and eat and _eat._

He would have banged his head on the nearest wall to get rid of the thoughts if he wasn't afraid that it might end his existence as a clone. He supposed it would be amusing to give the Boss an incredible sudden urge for delectable _Ramen_.

Naruto forced his thoughts away from his rumbling stomach, and focused. There was no question or doubt anymore, now. Not after all he'd seen and felt in the last few hours - it was too realistic for any Genjutsu he knew of, especially in scale and detail, and he had no clue why anyone would want to fake something like this in any case.

He was in the past. His nightmare had come to life, and now he was trapped in the world similar to his own, yet completely different and without _anyone _who actually knew him. There was no way back, he feared - at least none that he knew of. _Later, _the clone mused to himself. _There will be time for research, later. However much of a pain it'll be. I can't fall into despair - that way lies the path to failure. _

His gut feeling was telling him that it would be impossible. The future was not yet a reality - there was no way to travel to some place that did not actually exist in any sense. If he was right about that, and he was pretty sure he was, then he was stuck here, forced to travel the same way everyone else did - one second at a time.

Still - that was just a minor issue, really. However much he hated it, he was just one person, if a powerful one, and there were far larger issues in this time and place that needed to be dealt with. The village was in pieces. Konoha, a village he grew up in and that he had learned to love despite its flaws, had a gaping wound. The Kyuubi's attack had left a mark that was far deeper than he had anticipated, even if he had seen the remnants of it in his youth. Rebuilding would take years, perhaps - both physically as well as in spirit. And perhaps he had already changed things, changed the future, just by being here.

The villagers were - confused, for the lack of a better word, and the shinobi were scarcely any better off. The Uchiha clan had been riled up by the Third's attempts to manage matters, and the ANBU were far more distraught than they would ever show - they barely even bothered criticizing those who would talk freely while wearing their masks, now.

The Third was doing the best he could, Naruto was certain, but without officially taking the position of Hokage back, he had taken a step back in terms of establishing his authority. _Ojii-san_ should have retaken the position as soon as he knew about Minato's death, as he had probably done the last time around - but his own presence had likely prevented that. The situation was intolerable, and he could not imagine that the village would handle another disaster so shortly after this one.

The ANBU seemed to be organised well enough, despite their clear lack of uniform direction, so there would likely be no trouble from that side. Quite in the same vein, Sasuke's father seemed to have everything under control where Konoha's police was concerned, even if he was uncomfortable with the power vacuum. The Police Force seemed discontent with their present condition, likely due to the Third's orders. Most of the job restoring the streets had fallen onto their shoulders, as there was a distinct shortage of Jounin and the Uchiha had weathered the attack better than some, but it was clear that the founding clan of Konoha considered itself above such menial labor. It was no wonder there had been grumbling between the Uchiha, then.

Naruto frowned - _Ojii-san_ should not have given the Konoha Police so much workload, especially the exact type that an Uchiha would hate. They prided themselves on their eyes, and thus would doubtlessly be glad with jobs as guards or lookouts. To be placed in charge of waste management was just an embarrassment to a noble clan - he could hardly imagine the Hyuuga putting up with that, either. Maybe he lacked a part of the picture? Did the old man have a reason to dislike the Uchiha, even now?

He considered the argument Junichi had with Yakumi. Even if it had obviously been a personal matter, there was something of resentment in the latter's words. Perhaps that was the truth - perhaps a personal enmity between the Sarutobi and Uchiha clans was responsible for the discontent. Could the mistrust from the Uchiha for the Third Hokage have been the reason of the Uchiha clan rebellion in a couple of years? That was too heavy a question for a clone to figure out in a short span of time, but it was something to consider. He would need to figure out the relationships of the clans in this time, so different from his own.

_I guess all that education is gonna be good for something. _

Naruto knew that if he was stuck here, he could not let the massacre take place, no matter what. Maybe there was a way to broker an agreement between the old man and Fugaku, when things calmed down a little - at present he did not have the authority to tell the man to make him a glass of tea, much less listen to him on matters of diplomacy, but that could change. He knew what the clan would become - perhaps he could use that knowledge to his advantage.

But not today. No - his muscles ached, his senses were dulled, and though his chakra seemed stable enough, he was exhausted. He curled into a pose that felt a lot easier, yawning. Sleeping would only give an illusion of rest to what ultimately was only a copy - but at least it would help him pass the time a little. He would try to find out more when the rain died down at last.

_You should see me now, Tsunade-baachan. Uzumaki Naruto, would-be Hokage, holed up in his childhood den with plans to overthrow the entire future. I think you'd be proud._

He dreamt with a smile, imagining a teen Kakashi, jumping on the rooftops, catching the lightning with his hands, and Gai prancing there with him in his bright green outfit, trying to evade the stray discharges of the giant, storm-powered _Raikiri_.

The shudder that briefly ran through him was mostly the cold - mostly.

* * *

Shimura Danzou sat behind his desk with a pinched expression, rubbing the cross-shaped scar on his chin distractedly as he plowed through reports and witness accounts, compiled from various sources and different channels, his tired eyes having some trouble to keep up with it. It was a tedious process, and not only because most of the information was in a code, and recent events had prevented much in the way of sleep..

However, his mind still relished the challenge, and that kept him going - there were hidden connections here, unspoken details, subtle differences between the ways Root operatives presented their findings. For him, it was all like tasting a good bowl of sake after a long, tiring day, and even if it was boring, he could not imagine skipping out on the conclusions that he reached.

He thrived in this lifestyle of deception, for he had excelled at these little games since childhood, even when Hiruzen and he had shared intricate puzzles, and they had often stumped each other. Then again, Danzou's talent for deciphering such riddles was matched with Hiruzen's remarkable intellect. Or - as so often was the case in these days - with the combined strategies of all those who underestimated him.

Today was a good day: Two important plays were slated to be continued, and he was eager to make the moves for both of them. Better yet, to win one in such a way that it would make the other one easier, that was perfection.

Someone knocked at his door, and Danzou paused. "Yes?"

A servant girl opened, bowing slightly. "Uchiha Shisui is here to see you, Danzou-sama."

The young Uchiha genius - interesting. "Very well." Danzou tapped his fingers on his desk as he considered the unusual prospect of an Uchiha meeting him - he did not have the best reputation in that clan. What was stranger yet was just who came to visit him - Uchiha Shisui, the boy who had perfected the _Shunshin _to unheard levels, faster than almost anyone but the Fourth Hokage himself. There were few among his clan that showed more promise, save perhaps for Uchiha Itachi - and Itachi was but a beginning academy student.

Danzou turned over the most vital pieces of paper on his desk, covering them with the reports about the state of the village itself - the unclassified information anyone could get their hands on - in case the Sharingan was able to make out details anyway.

"Please let him in," he said at last, nodding. "We could also use a spot of tea. The expensive brand, please."

"Right away," the servant bowed and made herself sparse, like all good servants should. She carried the seal, of course - none who worked closely with him could be allowed to gossip about his activities - and she would certainly behave quickly and quietly.

Shisui strolled inside with sure steps, sliding the door closed behind himself as he did so. He was rather skinny, and his young age showed more than it usually did. "Danzou-sama," he offered in greeting, bowing his head slightly. His wild hair was restrained by his hitai-ate, and his activated Sharingan met Danzou's impassive gaze head-on. His expression was not that of a twelve year old child, but of a burdened adult.

Shimura knew how that had come to be - every once in a while, a ninja village would produce a prodigy like Shisui. Quick learners as they were, they soon found themselves adults trapped in the body of children. They learned quickly, rose fast through the ranks, and died in a blaze of glory at an early age, safe for a precious few. Almost without fail, such skill coupled with immaturity and emotional instability led to a great many problems - and coping mechanisms. Even though Danzou found himself wondering about the possible future of the child before him, he had to treat him like a full adult now, or he would lose respect in those old eyes. He knew that he wouldn't be disappointed in the company.

"Uchiha-san," He replied in a mostly pleasant voice. He did not incline his head in any way. "I did not expect to meet one such as you, but I think I believe I can spare some time for you in my schedule," he lied with ease. "To what do I owe the visit?"

Shisui took a few steps towards the low table and crossed his legs to sit on the ground, watching Danzou the entire time. "Fugaku-sama sends his regards," the young Uchiha said. "But I have not come on official clan business - not as such."

"The reason of your visit is personal?" Danzou asked, as his expression remained impassive and calm. "You can rest assured that the details of this conversation will remain strictly between us. Though I am puzzled as to why you believe I could be of assistance."

"I wanted to clarify some rumours."

Danzou nodded.

"Tell me - do you have a complete list of hospital patients?" Shisui asked, frowning. "The attack has cost many shinobi and civilians their lives, and I wanted to make sure that every one of them has been accounted for."

"I am sure that you have access to information through your clan's considerable resources." Danzou smiled ever so slightly. "Why would you think that I would have some that you could not access?"

"Call it a hunch," Shisui glanced back at the entrance. "What about the safety of the classified information? I'm worried that someone might have stolen the records for the new ANBU recruits."

Danzou's gaze sharpened, then. "I see. And this is relevant to me...?" Shisui's expression was bland, but Danzou nodded reluctantly as he realized what it meant. "Fugaku-san has told you much."

"I consider it general education," Shisui replied swiftly. "The Uchiha clan's private files are open to me. I know you are the one to approach about these matters - outside official channels."

Danzou nodded slowly, narrowing his eyes. "Why would someone with access to such information spread it? Is the information about Magpie, Boar and Badger so valuable as to risk getting caught?"

Shisui's Sharingan spun lazily. "I see that you were well aware of what I was referring to, Danzou-sama. Fair enough - I will not underestimate your sources again." He shrugged. "Regardless - Fugaku-sama is very interested in the security of the village, as are you. I'm sure he would owe a small favour to anyone who would help him... sleep better."

Danzou took a long, evaluating look at Shisui. "I thought this was a personal visit."

"It just so happens, that I have the same opinion in this matter." Shisui held the gaze calmly. "Someone might have used one or several of these three ANBU as his disguise to infiltrate the village, to gain information on the weaknesses of our village in the wake of the recent attack."

"Intriguing observation." Danzou tapped his fingers on the table. "Such a feat would require foreknowledge of the inner workings of ANBU."

The door slid open, as a servant came in, bringing two wooden cups of steaming tea. Both Danzou and Shisui remained silent until the servant bowed and left.

"Please remind me," Shimura said, taking a sip from his cup. "What is the official stance of Uchiha clan, if a need to select a new Hokage arises?" He raised an eyebrow.

"If Yondaime Hokage-sama is dead?" Shisui asked. "If that happened, it would be truly unfortunate. Still, I am certain that the Uchiha council has considered all the possibilities, as well as likely candidates." The last word was said looking pointedly at Danzou. "I cannot say I would like any of the choices. If you would excuse me for being so bold, Fugaku-sama nor myself are interested in any deals on the matter."

"And if Namikaze Minato is alive?" Danzou placed the cup back on the table, a shadow running over his eyes.

"Then the Uchiha clan would support whatever the Hokage would decree, of course." Shisui had not even glanced at, much less touched his cup. "Regardless, we must act upon confirmation of a security breach. Hokage or not."

"Let us do that, then," Danzou declared, crossed his arms. "Let me make this clear - I have no access to more information than that which has been gleaned from similar sources as your own, I am certain. Perhaps, you are looking too far and such a culprit is hiding in plain sight? Such as in the very same Uchiha compound you reside, where you could easily catch him, provided you prove vigilant enough? It could happen at any time, maybe even tonight. I would take care of it myself, but I will be rather busy this evening, visiting several patients in the hospital."

"Such a culprit would carry all the information with him? Isn't that a bit... convenient?" Shisui frowned.

"Sometimes, even enemy shinobi make mistakes," Danzou shrugged. "Maybe you would get lucky."

"Very well." Shisui sighed as he stood up and bowed. "Thank you, Danzou-sama."

"Do not thank me. I have done nothing to merit it. There are two more things to be said before you leave - first, relay to Uchiha Fugaku, when you have a chance, that I would not mind meeting with him for a cup of sake, to drink to Minato's deeds. Both old and new."

"I will tell him."

"Good. Secondly - You have said that this was a personal meeting." Danzou smirked slightly. "I have given you some of my valuable time and effort, and I would like you to do the same for me, not Uchiha Fugaku."

Shisui froze. He closed his eyes, as if fighting some inner struggle, and then relented, sighing. "If you supply the relevant information, that would be acceptable," he said in a whisper. When he opened his eyes, they were black.

"We will speak again, Uchiha Shisui. I believe I have information that you could well use, and you have information that I desire." He nodded. "I have heard that the Kyuubi's attack, having taken lives of many close family members, have left you a certain inheritance in your capable - hands."

Shisui flinched.

"You know what I speak of, of course." Shimura carefully brushed a finger just under his right eye.

"Yes."

"Good. When you catch your spy, I will arrange a meeting, so that we may speak about this, and to supply that information which I can supply. I may be able to help with the - side-effects."

Shisui turned on his heel and left, without saying another word. Agitation was plain in his gait - he still had some things to learn about diplomacy. Still - clearly Fugaku trusted him with this, which implied a level of ability that was not to be underestimated.

Danzou leaned back in his chair and sighed. Now that he had gained a small victory, he was waiting for the next game. For the first time since he got up in the early morning to hear the reports of the night before, he felt anxious. The game was on.

It seemed that Fugaku had come to the very same conclusion he had, at the same time - the man was clearly well-informed - perhaps too much so. Still, Fugaku did not actually have access to ANBU files to verify Boar's identity - and that was the missing link in this matter.

Danzou smiled slightly to himself. He would do Fugaku a favour, the repercussions of which would be only known in the long term. At least, Danzou knew, he could trust Shisui to honor his promise - the Uchiha was a man of his word, and had presented him a perfect opportunity, even if it freed Fugaku of some obligations.

They would not stand with him on his attempt to become Hokage. and Hiruzen would also get in the way. Even if he knew what Konoha needed, his position was not as strong as he wanted it to be. Not yet. In this political climate, one such as he could not be placed in that position.

Everything could still be ruined, if Hiruzen retook his old position. Danzou ground his teeth in annoyance at the thought - that would mean a loss for his efforts with Uchiha, and perhaps a delay of a decade or more, by which time he would be old as well. Even the Fourth would be preferable to such a scenario.

It was an intriguing puzzle, he admitted to himself, one of the more challenging ones. Minato was supposed to be severely injured and kept in a hospital, yet he had had shown himself in Konoha during the night. Why hadn't Hiruzen announced that Minato was well, and would soon recover?

His Root had found out that a medic-nin was suspected of performing chakra signature readings on a couple of unspecified patients and had been sworn to secrecy about it, to the point where even a Yamanaka would have trouble retrieving the information. The only details know were that it dealt with a man and a child - the Hokage and his newborn offspring, if he was not mistaken.

He would give much to have a copy of the observations, but Sarutobi had chosen his trusted well, the medical-nin had an utmost respect and loyalty for the Third. The same went with any ANBU that had been allowed in the chamber that allegedly held the Hokage - as a patient, or a prisoner.

Why would Hiruzen and Jiraiya have council between themselves, when the future of the village depended on such a matter? He had not expected himself to be invited - Hiruzen was too careful in these days - but what of Homura and Utatane, his councillors and old teammates? What about the Uchiha and Hyuuga Clans?

He had to force Hiruzen into revealing his play, to make the Third choose, and force the issue. If Minato was dying or dead, Danzou would have a hard and tedious fight for the title of the Hokage - one that he might well lose. If he was alive, then a way to keep the Fourth thinking straight had to exist. He was certain that he could not defeat the Namikaze's popularity - but the man would not be kept under wraps without reason.

Were there other outcomes that he had not considered? What if Minato was damaged too much from the vicious chakra of the Kyuubi? That did not explain his exploits as the ANBU Boar, which had come to light only very recently. If Boar was not Minato, that raised a question of his identity.

"A puppet?" Danzou muttered out loud, and quickly shook his head. Fugaku was interested enough to send Shisui to inquire - offering a personal favour, no less. This meant Fugaku was under the impression that he had actually talked with Minato - and the man was not stupid.

It could have been a carefully measured play on Hiruzen's part, to allow a mysterious ANBU to appear in public, provoking rumours at the higher levels to prevent some from writing off their Fourth Hokage. Still, such a move was counterproductive for Konoha; it was too dangerous to allow unconfirmed rumours to spread too widely - Iwa alone had been on their toes since the rumours had started, and others were not far behind.

There was insufficient data. He would have to make sure of it. Personally.

There was a weak flutter of the candles in a draft, when one of the smaller doors slid open. A dark shape joined the shadows of the room.

"Everything is clear," the figure announced.

"Very good," Danzou replied, not lifting his head from the files. "I need you to set up a delivery for the Uchiha compound. Relay an order for a copy of what we have on the newest three Konoha ANBU, as well as the recently rejected 'Boar'. Include a profile we have for the man that is held in the high security wing of Konoha's hospital."

"All of it?"

"Have someone go through it, leaving only the observations that support a theory that the man is Minato," Danzou ordered, smiling. Hiruzen wanted to be subtle, but he gave him a bargaining chip. If the Uchiha believed that Minato was alive - true or not - they would put more pressure on Hiruzen.

The truth would come out. It could damage the Third's reputation - and even the long wait was doing that - or perhaps it would put him out of favour with the Daimyo. At the very least, Danzou would finally find the truth about the fate of Namikaze Minato.

"Have everything brought to the Uchiha compound. Around midnight, tonight. Stay out of sight - Jiraiya is watchful. Other orders stand unchanged."

"Yes, sir."

Shimura Danzou never heard his Root operative leave, only the flame of the candle shivered. He smiled. There was a good reason to visit the Konoha Hospital after all.

* * *

**A/N:**

Once, the starting scene had Kurotsuchi and Deidara, but first, it turned out that Kurotsuchi would be too small and only after I fiddled with the scene a bit, I found out that Deidara would be three. I think it probably would have been better for my nerves if I just went "yeah, ok, he's older in this fic". But... So, we'll have to wait a few 'years', if we want to see those two around, I guess.

Since I had to cut the chapter in two at some stages of editing, I think it would be reasonable to expect another update in two to three weeks, if gods be willing and Roarian lends as much incredible help as he had since the beginning of this enterprise.

It seems, that quality_ish_ writing consists of 3% ideas, 1% talent, 20% of actually sitting down to write, 43% of editing and **33% Roarian**. The figures might not be completely exact, but the point is, without **Morta's Priest** help, not only this would be a lot weaker, but you probably wouldn't even be here.

Since I estimate an at least 70% chance that you found this story via his mention in the latest chapter **The Leaf's Naruto**, I could add that there is an collaborative effort between us -** Destroyer of Worlds**, a Batman and Death Note crossover, that is being posted via his (**Morta's Priest**) account. There is a link in my profile, or, rather obviously, you can find it via his.

So yeah, what I've been trying to say is - Roarian, thanks, you're awesome.

Sorry for a windy author's note.


	6. The Sound of Thunder

**Steal My Thunder God**

**Chapter V - The Sound of Thunder**

* * *

Naruto's feet thumped solidly onto the bushy branch of a bent tree, its deformed limbs trying to reach high into the sky. Vast grasslands stretched eastward, only interrupted occasionally by malnourished vegetation - the equally vast forest to his west hoarded the majority of nutrients for miles around. The evening sun glared down from just above the crowns of the tallest trees, turning every shadow an odd coppery colour - like blood.

The tense moment of anticipation hit him before he comprehended the reason for it, and he flipped himself upward and away from the kunai that whirled his way before he had even seen a glint of the metal. Leaves fell down from the branch he just left, neatly bisected, and the knife embedded itself into the bark with a twang, missing him by inches.

Naruto caught himself easily, sticking to the higher branch with the slightest application of chakra as he glanced down between the branches. He lashed out at his assailant with a well-timed kick, managing to hit the small figure right in the chest, and he used the momentum from his attack to flip back into the air, launching himself to the very top of the tree with a burst of chakra, balancing himself precariously on its tip, his arms crossed.

"Are you done yet?" he asked calmly, raising an eyebrow as he stared down at the two Genin fumbling on the ground, one of them nursing her chest.

There was no answer - with a shuddering thud, the tree exploded under him.

"Clever," he muttered, and in an instant of light and sound he flung himself through nothingness towards his target, landing in a squat on the ground without any advance warning, without even a sound. He tapped his attacker's neck with the three-pronged kunai now clasped in his hand, and smiled. "Well, seems like you're dead, Rin. Though that was a hell of a throw," he remarked cheerfully. "Two down - now, where did Kakashi run off to?"

The forest shimmered, and Naruto caught himself swaying, and he shook his head in annoyance. The land slowly rocked back and forth and he had to take a few steps to straighten himself before he glanced up, the thick forest around him looking oppressive as the dank air washed over him.

"That bas- Kakashi went ahead to scout, sensei," Obito said, pouting slightly.

Naruto turned, puzzled. For a moment, he narrowed his eyes at something just out of reach, convinced that he was missing something - then the feeling vanished, and he smiled reassuringly at the young Uchiha. "Again, huh?"

Obito sighed. "Yeah - I told him that you didn't order anything like that, but he said that you didn't forbid it either. It's 'standard procedure' or something. Must have been in those shinobi rules he keeps reciting..."

Naruto sighed. "I understand - I suppose it was inevitable that he would get impatient. Well, this is my mess to clear up, since I was the one called away," he replied. "Wait here until Rin returns, and I'll go catch up to him. We'll double back to meet with you. If you see a trace of Iwa nin, evade and go east - this is just a C-rank, but you never know. It shouldn't take us more than an hour, you'll be fine." He gave Obito a short pat on the shoulder, placing a temporary seal. "Don't worry, Kakashi will mellow out. Probably. Eventually."

"Is he going to be in trouble for this?" Obito asked carefully, biting his lip. "He was so sure that you wouldn't mind..."

"I'll just talk sternly to him," Naruto noted jovially, stepping solidly onto the bark of the nearest tree and walking up. "Don't worry too much, and be careful. Remember, if you see enemy nin, try to get some smoke in the air, to signal for Konoha. I'll get to your position to help, if that's the case. We're _probably _safe here, but with the tensions as high as they are, you never know when all hell may break loose..."

Naruto faltered, grasping for his head as the world teetered, the trees blurring together as the pulsing pain burst behind his eyes, coursing through his veins like poison. It took a few moments before the sensation vanished, and he carefully looked up again.

The forest _burned_; it was engulfed by a raging inferno that cooked to everything crisp in seconds, searing to the bone. Naruto carefully evaded the falling branches as he made his way forward, his skin coated in a thin layer of chakra that protected him from the worst of the heat. The team was safe, as much as they could be in enemy territory with Kakashi on the edge of chakra-exhaustion, but this blaze was not helping in the slightest.

Still, he had to move, he had his own mission to complete. He had someone important to find, to help. No matter the heat, or the exhaustion that had seeped into his muscles, forcing him to take it slowly even as his chakra was draining faster than he would have liked.

Not for the first time he cursed himself for not leaving her one of his _Hiraishin _seals - the kunai had been disposed of, so he couldn't jump to her side. He had to find Kushina in the old fashioned way - and out of all possible paths, the one that went straight through the inferno was the one least likely to be guarded. When this was over, he had to give Kushina a seal - a permanent one - no matter what else he did. A thousand of them, if necessary. There was no chance that he would leave her out of his sight again, not if he could help it.

Naruto threw one of his kunai through the burning tide, and it lazily looped through the air, unnoticed, the slightest remnant of chakra preserving the little paper seal on its handle. Before it could embed itself into the ground Naruto was there, grasping it by the handle as the flaming forest behind him made his shadow billow before him even as his cloak wrapped itself around him. The hem of it had caught on fire, the flames licked at the white fabric from below. He held his blade between his hands, focusing on his _Hiraishin _even as he placed dozens of seals at once, one with every step he took - no battlefield was ever unprepared for long.

He was just in time, it seemed - more than two dozen Iwa nin were locked in combat with a red-haired Konoha kunoichi - _Kushina_ - who whirled blue-tinged chakra chains in every direction, cutting and severing limbs with incredible precision. Still, she was weakening, that much was clear. Naruto was at her side in the very next moment, glancing momentarily at her to survey her injuries, and then he glared daggers at the Iwa shinobi who recoiled in surprise at the sudden apparition - or in horror. The first of them never realized he died - his eyes betrayed only surprise as they darkened, his spinal cord severed in between breaths.

The kills were quick, efficient. Routine, even. The sheer number of them wasn't, however, as more Iwa nin joined the fray - Naruto flung himself into combat without remorse, his strength barely up to the task, but his will overriding any exhaustion or weakness that he could not afford to show, here. To the enemy, he was a blur - a weapon in flight, impossible to see before it reached for your jugular and tore it out.

There were a lot of Iwa nin, and they had made a fatal mistake by walking into this self-made trap - there wasn't a spot on the ground that wasn't covered with the Hiraishin seals now, and kunai landed in every direction, anchors for his most dangerous technique. The only way out was blocked by cascading waves of fire that they had themselves set.

They didn't stand a chance. It was one man against an army - the Iwa nin were utterly outnumbered.

All was a confused tangle of moments, and Naruto danced at the edge of time itself, vanishing and reappearing before he had fully grasped the situation - just cutting the throat that he was aiming for, and moving on. Faces bled together, all of them tinged with fear - all he saw was a shifting creature, the enemy, and it had to be killed a thousand times.

Today, he was the Shinigami on the battlefield. Today, he became a legend.

The Yellow Flash was everywhere - shinobi fell without warning, were crippled by a momentary blink of blond hair, slain by a wraith that was gone before the mind had time to process it, and swing the sword. The sphere of destructive power followed, twisting chakra that tore into anything, eradicating it utterly. The _Rasengan _took out armor and weapon - and flesh.

Naruto stabbed a Chuunin in his knees, cut through the chakra strings of a puppeteer with finality, slashed with his kunai through some tall shinobi's face, and was gone before he could take in the slackening of the man's jaw as he slowly crumpled. Jagged slabs of earth burst up, only to be completely ignored as Naruto appeared right in front of their creators. His stomach roiled as he ruthlessly suppressed his disgust, and panic soon shattered the enemy's resolve. Their ranks dispersed; slowly, like a tide that suddenly crashed into high shores, they turned and fled.

What remained afterwards was a graveyard, a killing field, with Kushina standing in the middle, her head held high. She smiled gracefully, her beautiful red hair gleaming in the moonlight. It was over, finally - it was time to head back to safety. His hand trembled as he sheathed the kunai he was still holding. This battle was over - more had yet to be fought. He had to find his teacher.

Naruto faltered, shaking his head. The battlefield wavered, swam before his eyes - he tried to remember if it had happened before, but dismissed the idea. Perhaps it had been the battle that tired him out so thoroughly? All those people, dead - how many had there been?

"Are you alright?"

Naruto blinked, glancing up to Jiraiya as he sat down in their small hideout in the forest. There were medical nin rushing in and out, and the lines of injured Konoha nin were huge, with dozens of bodies already piled up, the ones who did not make it. Naruto realized he had to look like death warmed over, since Jiraiya actually stared at his blood-stained form with a mixture of wonder and regret - and perhaps a hint of pain.

"I'm fine - and the left flank is secure, Jiraiya-sensei," Naruto finally replied, gazing up at his longtime teacher and friend as he stretched his legs a little. He would have smiled, but it was too tiring right then. "Our position is safe, for now, and I'm sure Kushina can handle herself. We should send the toads to help the center assault, instead - if that line falls, it's over."

"You just had to show off, didn't you?" Jiraiya remarked airily, helping him sit up straighter when he almost dropped off to sleep. "That last fight really took something out of you, didn't it? You should probably rest, for now."

"No," Naruto replied immediately in a voice of steel. "Every battle that I end makes a difference, and I'm the only one that can use _that _jutsu so effectively. If the victory is decisive, it gives the Hokage's forces a better chance, and you know it."

Jiraiya shook his head. "You're impossible, you know that? Rest, and I will take over your job for a while. I have been staying back here for too long, anyway. Unless you're going to disparage my skills." He snorted.

"I would never do that - but I'm heading back," Naruto replied with a slight smile. "Konoha needs us both, sensei. if this is anything but a solid victory, we might lose more than we gained in the last year, and I won't let those sacrifices be for nothing. What kind of shinobi would I be, if I let laziness get in the way?"

He flinched again as the room vanished, blurred before his eyes. Was he _that _tired? He blinked fuzzily as he took in Jiraiya's concerned face. Maybe the man had a point. His thought was interrupted as he found himself in freefall for a split second, hand outstretched as reality warped by him. _Hiraishin._

Ojii-san was smiling at him when he appeared before him, kunai in hand, immediately taking in the situation and blinking in confusion. The Hokage's Office was spinning around strangely, as if he was standing on the deck of the ship, before it briefly crystallized into something even sharper than reality.

"Jiraiya-sensei said that you wanted to see me, Hokage-sama?" Naruto asked, frowning. "He said that you were in some kind of danger - I take it that's not true, then...?"

"He lied," the old man said with a slight nod, motioning him closer, even as the world trembled. "Or rather, he played a trick on you, Minato. It's been so hard to get a hold of you - you're so busy with everything. Sometimes, it's like you're running the whole village by yourself."

"Let's not exaggerate," Naruto said, cocking his head to the side. The Third was not wearing the hat, Naruto realised, and he opened his mouth to ask about that. The old man was faster.

"Please, sit." He nodded, taking a deep breath from his pipe. "I insist."

Naruto sat down warily. "Hokage-sama...?"

The Third smiled. "You know - I have mentioned my plans for the future. You should not be so surprised that I called you before me." He reached down, picking the hat from his lap and placing it on his desk, facing Naruto. The kanji for 'Fire' stood out clearly. "With peace comes the time for change - and no matter what people say, I am getting old. In the first two Shinobi World Wars, my name was on everyone's lips." He smiled knowingly. "Now - they chant someone else's."

Naruto froze. "Sir-"

The Third raised an eyebrow. "Konoha requires a symbol of strength and vitality - not an old man who is losing both. I've had my time - more than is granted to most." He nodded finally. "I appoint you, Namikaze Minato, to be my successor. You will be the Fourth Hokage of Konoha."

"I- " Naruto blinked, and the world shuddered again.

"Minato?" the Third asked. "Don't tell me you're fainting!" The old man muttered something. "Kushina did say -"

"_Why_?" Naruto asked as the room tumbled over, but he did not fall - he stood there, on the ground that was now a wall, his chakra holding him in place. His mother stood before him, smiling.

"I've got news! I'm warning you, you might faint!"

Naruto's hands were rifling through papers on his desk - when had he sat down, much less gotten a desk? He frowned, shaking his head, and saw Kushina's eyes glitter with happiness and glee. "Is it that bad?" he asked, mildly concerned, yet at the same time entranced by her smile.

"I wouldn't say so, my idiot Hokage," she jumped up, landing rather ungracefully on his desk, and sending a pile of carefully stacked scrolls on the ground. Or the wall. Naruto was not sure which side was up anymore - things started to look like some messed up Genjutsu. "It is something we have dreamed about," Kushina admitted, smiling from ear to ear as she ran a hand across her belly. "Something really epic!"

The truth occurred to Naruto then, right as he reached down in astonishment towards his mother - carrying _him._ With that realization, the world dissolved one final time, and did not reform anew.

The dream dissolved in an instant, popping like a bubble.

* * *

Naruto startled awake with enough force to throw himself halfway out of his bed, his wounds flaring up and eliciting a half-strangled cry of pain. His head spun, and nausea made him pause for a little while. His bandages were torn, severe wounds strained and painful - and he was hanging down the side of his hospital bed, entangled in his sheets, disoriented.

"What the hell was all _that?_" he muttered as he dragged himself back onto the soft mattress, sighing in relief. His wounds ached, but even with his sudden movement, they seemed to have improved much since the previous night. If it was yesterday - telling time was hard from a windowless room.

The dreams, feverish and disjointed, had haunted him throughout the night, mostly lost and forgotten when he woke, messed up and falling to pieces as he tried to retain more than slivers of them. They were memories, that much he had concluded after the first time, when he saw a young version of himself - apparently - attending class with a hot-tempered redhead. He recognized his mom, which made the boy his father, whose words returned to him, now.

Those last words, right before Naruto had torn the seal open, and released the chakra he had unknowingly taken during Kurama's attack. His father's last gift for him was a half-forgotten dream of the past, in recompense for the thoughts that the man had spied on. It was already fading, and made his head hurt immensely, but it felt meaningful nevertheless. He had to focus - to clear his mind, and figure out what it meant.

Naruto sat up in the hospital bed, trying to find a more comfortable position, now that blood once more seeped into his bandages. Each position proved uncomfortable, so he ended up scooting his legs closer, not exactly crossing them, but holding one of them in front of another. His body responded sluggishly, but it was nothing that couldn't be overcome with a bout of determination and concentration. He straightened his back, ignoring the spike of pain in his lower stomach. A medic-nin would probably have his hide for it, but he had to find a position he was familiar with, to put his mind back together.

Naruto lowered his arms onto his knees and breathed slowly for a couple of minutes.

In. Out.

It had all been but a dream. Dreams couldn't harm him, as long as he kept his mind straight. He stilled, allowing only his chest to move with each breath.

In. Out.

Pain receded at last, allowing him some semblance of coherence. He glanced around the room, moving only his eyes. It was empty, and his nerves were not warning him of anyone spying on him - he had trained them well enough that his senses were rather prone to being _too _acute. He was alone, then.

In. Out.

Naruto closed his eyes and slowly ushered himself into a state of meditation, focusing on his seal, that sort-of place that he visited whenever he spoke to the fox - or sometimes, his parents. He had torn the seal to pieces, and that should have allowed the chakra of his father to disperse, to run free. Yet... he could still feel some of it, even now. Not focused and localized like before, not constrained by the seal, but it was still present.

The seals that Jiraiya had him under hindered the process of examining his chakra, Naruto realised. He had never been quite as gifted in sealing as his father or Jiraiya himself - mostly because he did not care enough about academia to spend too much time on it - and he was specialized in only those seals that he actually used. If anything, the _Hiraishin _was his first true application of everything he had learned, fueled by his wish to replicate his father's greatest jutsu.

These chakra suppression seals were a precise thing, tailored for someone specific - Jiraiya had to have worked overtime to get them done in the brief time that Naruto had been utterly unconscious. They would not last - chakra would eventually overpower the seal, and it would simply disintegrate - but it was clear that they were helpful enough on someone whose reserves were utterly depleted.

If he wanted to figure out his chakra - and what happened to his father's - he would likely need to remove them. Though, he mused, there was one alternative, one way that could allow him to sense exactly what was going on, without having to rely on Fuuinjutsu to mess with the seals. Those were designed for regular chakra, after all. They were not meant for natural energy.

Naruto smiled thinly as he realized that staying still would not be problem; he pushed any feelings about the pain far away, and tasted the natural energies around him. He was slightly hesitant to use Sage Mode without knowing his new limits, now that a huge part of his chakra had been torn aside or blocked, but he had not spent ages at the Toads without picking up some finesse.

He had never been one to be very careful, anyway.

Natural energy surged around him in an instant, present in everything, the undercurrent of life. The moment even the slightest bit joined his chakra, it surged - a reinvigorating burst of strength and dexterity that felt like electricity ran across his skin for a split second. Naruto tore his eyes open, his pupils dilated as he struggled to balance it with the physical and mental energies, for a brief moment fearing that it was a mistake, that he had lost the struggle for equilibrium, but then... He caught himself. He _felt _his eyes change as the colours shifted, brighter and clearer than they had been since he first came back to the past.

He closed his eyes again, the sensory boost of Sage Mode granting him awareness of everyone in the entire building - he could sense the ANBU right outside the door, and three more that were more carefully hidden, a little further along. He could sense the orphans, clustered together - including his other self - and the ANBU that were guarding that region. He could feel the bright light of the Third Hokage - even from all the way in the hospital he could sense the power that the old man possessed. Extraordinary, yet not something he hadn't seen before. Naruto knew that Jiraiya had more - and Jiraiya currently had a couple of _Kage Bunshin_ running around, misleading about the true depth of his chakra reserves. Yet, in the whole presence of the Third, there was a sense of focus that most other nin lacked, a feeling of concentration and control that made such a combination of power and will into an opponent Naruto would never want to cross.

"God of Shinobi, eh?" Naruto smirked as he focused inwards next, the natural energy coursing through his veins as it did in all living things. There, alongside his own chakra - he had never sensed it quite so pure - he found the traces of his father's, and there was more than he had imagined.

His father had left more than just a little chakra, a remnant of himself. Releasing himself after expending the necessary amount to briefly control his body, his father had directed the chakra inwards, rather than outwards to the world, where it would have dispersed. What was left over had been accepted by Naruto's own chakra circulatory system - and there it was slowly absorbed, converted.

It was an imprint of a memory, an iota of consciousness that was caught up in the living and vibrant system that his son was still using. Everything that the sealed clone had been was now a stream of bits an pieces, elements that their new host body was adapting for its own use, as it had done with the Kyuubi's chakra.

It was in not a transfer of memories in the direct sense, but more of a whisper, an echo. Soon, those moments and feelings would be some among the many that Naruto already had, a much-needed reminder of what his father thought of him, of what this time and place were like. He could not actively recall much - only some strange impressions, feelings, fears and joys. The aggregate of a life.

It left a feeling of closeness and support in its wake - and most importantly, the conviction that his father believed in him, that he would be there at every step of the way, in some way eternally within reach.

And that was worth all the pain in the world.

"I will make you proud - believe it," Naruto muttered to the empty room.

His burned-out chakra was returning, he could feel - one benefit of Sage Mode was quick chakra rejuvenation, and even as he never had problems with chakra before, _now _it was proving vital. Overflown with the continuous stream of energy, the remaining chakra suppressions seals evaporated like a drop of water falling on a hot plate.

Even as the restraining seals burned away, Naruto continued to hold the steady state of chakra influx, certain that if he didn't do anything now, Jiraiya would notice the next time he came by, and cut off the possibility entirely. The enormous reserves that his body had developed needed to be filled, the sooner the better, if he wanted to be able to do anything significant. Besides, he did not like to be weak, and he wouldn't stay holed up in the hospital longer than he absolutely had to.

He figured he had at least an hour until he would be brought food, which would give him enough time to gather enough to fool the medical-nin. When his chakra was restored, he knew that the overall recovery process would speed up too, and if that meant staying in Sage Mode for longer periods, then he supposed he wouldn't be moving for a while.

For anything else, he still had his clones. Come to think of it - whatever happened to the one he had sent out the day before?

* * *

"I'm still hungry... This sucks." Naruto's clone sighed in defeat as he got up from his cramped position, glancing around the corner. His mouth watered at the very thought of a good bowl of ramen, and he could practically smell it riding on the wind.

Wait - he _could _actually smell it!

Naruto was out of his hidey-hole and back on the street before he fully realized it, and momentarily considered relying on the Boar disguise - but if the other ANBU had known about Ichiraku and actually met people there, then that could get him caught really easily. No, he'd need something a little more - subtle. Civilian, maybe.

Or, something neatly in between.

The ramen stand had been erected remarkably quickly, Naruto thought as he approached his favourite restaurant in the guise of an academy student - his chakra was low enough that people would just imagine him above-average if they even checked, he'd guess. The paint was barely dry, and the soil around the building still bore the signs of the Kyuubi assault. Still, Ichiraku's was open again, and dozens of people were amicably eating there, clearly glad that not everything had changed. Naruto was happy to note that active Shinobi had a discount, and, there was a pool of money set aside for those who had lost their relatives or homes. Then, he pouted as he realized that as a supposed academy student, he was not actually eligible for said discount. _Figures._

His involuntary pout was immediately spotted by Teuchi, it seemed - a cup of miso was handed to him with a friendly smile, and Naruto resolved to return the favour at the nearest opportunity. He saw a few pitying looks thrown his way - and Naruto could guess what those people were thinking. There were a lot of orphans around, after all, in the wake of the attack.

Naruto gingerly listened in on the conversations around him as he forced himself to pace his eating - unlike the usual days, he could not just gobble up a dozen bowls' worth of ramen. Especially since he was here for the _taste_. It was unsettling to to hear what people had to say, since the majority was terribly morose and the few laughs were more forceful than genuine. People were desperate to speak to someone, it seemed - anyone. Daily life was far from being back to normal, and almost everyone had lost someone in the attack, so the only thing that people could rely on was those who were still around. Most spoke of the damage to the village, or recounted where they were that night, the hate never far away as they talked about Kyuubi. Naruto could understand, at least a little, why the civilians had loathed him so much when he was younger.

They also spoke of the Fourth Hokage.

"Do you figure he's still kickin'?" A civilian asked a platinum blonde kunoichi at the stand, a gleam of desperation in his eyes. The clone continued to slowly eat his ramen, however much he wanted to devour it whole in a couple of gulps, intent on listening in.

The kunoichi shuffled uncomfortably, glanced around and then replied, in a somewhat conspiratorial tone. "I'm just a Chuunin - they haven't told us anything yet, either. I suppose it's a good sign. I mean, if he died, you'd think they would have said as much..."

"Perhaps - but I guess nobody knows anything," Teuchi interjected smoothly, handing the kunoichi her own bowl of ramen. "There must be an unofficial story, though - there always is. I've heard every rumour imaginable, but civilians only know so much about what goes on among the shinobi."

"Unofficial, huh?" the kunoichi shook her head, her forehead protector glimmering in the gloom. "As far as I know, Hokage-sama is still in the hospital, recovering from the Kyuubi's attack. He - I saw him when they brought him in. Sandaime Hokage-sama was with him, and he looked..." She grimaced. "He had been run through, and he had barely any skin left. He looked terrible."

An older man - probably in his fifties - gulped down the last of his bowl loudly and coughed repeatedly. "I have heard talk that he was injured too much to be a shinobi again - I suppose that fits. _No skin - _the Third is going to take over again, I would guess. At least until someone else is ready..."

The kunoichi shrugged. "I don't know - I think he will pull through. He took down a Bijuu and survived it long enough to reach the hospital, and we all remember Iwa. There is nothing to stop the Hokage after that, in my book - not even a demon. He _must _pull through."

"What if he doesn't, though?" Naruto suddenly asked. He allowed some of his childish naivete to echo into his words. He was playing a young academy student, after all. "The Third is as famous as Hokage-sama, wouldn't it be the same as before?"

"The Fourth is different, though," A civilian woman replied to that, and several others nodded in agreement. "You were too young to understand it all, but in the last war, Hokage-sama was a one-man army, and it is through that war that he became the leader of the village - even if not in name at the time. I fear that if he dies - Konoha would probably go to war again, when the other nations smell blood." She sighed. "You would not want to go to a war, trust me. I lost my brother in the last, and I'll be damned if I lose another."

Naruto looked down at his bowl, his food suddenly tasteless in his mouth. He knew that look of mixed hope and loss. He had seen the trouble of war, and the deaths of those he knew for most of his life. He would not wish that on anybody.

"Namikaze-sama has protected us, for the short time he had been a Hokage." The old man elaborated. He raised his hands before anyone could protest. "I am not saying anything about the other Hokages, who were all magnificent in their own right. But none can dismiss the Fourth's dedication to the village. Look at what he just did to stop that hellish creature! He nearly died protecting us!"

"All Hokages are expected to sacrifice themselves, if necessary," the kunoichi noted. "All _shinobi _are expected to put the village first, most of all those that lead. That was Namikaze-sama's declaration at his inauguration, was it not?"

The old man closed his eyes. "That's true. I remember when these last two Hokages took up the mantle," he said in a different tone, thoughtful. "Sarutobi-sama and Namikaze-sama are so similar in some ways - each clearly loves the village, and treasures all that it entails, and they will put themselves through hardship on behalf of it. Still, the Third acknowledges that like me -" He smirked. "He's getting a little crotchety."

"You old dog," a woman said next to him. "Sarutobi-sama is still the most powerful shinobi alive, you know!"

"Maybe," the old man muttered, nodding gently. "Powerful or not, he chose Namikaze-sama as his replacement precisely because he realized the same thing, don't you think? Running around giving orders and fighting are things that young people are supposed to be doing, not us oldtimers!"

Naruto turned his gaze down to the his bowl again. He knew that his father was gone - but he couldn't just come out and say that, could he? These people would not believe him - and even if they did, his declaration would only break their hearts in a fragile time like this. His father had clearly already earned a substantial reputation - and his rise to the position of Hokage had solidified it in the minds of the civilians and shinobi alike. This was, no doubt, part of the reason for the sheer hate still levelled at the fox, years later - they people had lost the hope for peace that had seemed so bright in the wake of the last war. Considering the long and complicated sequence of conflicts that followed in the wake of the attack, they had not been wrong, either. The Uchiha massacre was just a symptom of that larger problem.

Teuchi placed a new bowl in front of the old man. "Have this, it's on the house. Let's all hope that when the mess is cleaned up, we know what's going on with the Hokage, too. A toast - a toast to the man who saved the village!"

Naruto smiled weakly, lost in thought, as cups clashed and cheers resounded around him.

* * *

Having just taken a roundabout route to his destination, just to save a drowning dog and help a couple civilians cross the flooded streets, Naruto thought he was rested enough to resume with heavier tasks, and headed out to take an actual mission scroll. It might have been skirting it a bit too close for comfort, but he really wanted to return Teuchi his money, and it was either risking a D-rank clean up mission at the mission desk, or stealing it from someone else - which would solve nothing.

He wondered briefly whether or not it was time to return to the Boss yet - and decided against it. He had no idea if his creator was even capable of making more clones at this point, and he could be remotely popped at any time, anyway. At the very least his long stay confirmed one thing - the fewer clones, the more stable they were, at least for him. He supposed nobody else had quite the same sheer experience with the jutsu, though.

Naruto found himself close to his destination when he noticed a gaping hole in one of the buildings adjacent to the Hokage Tower. It might have been his imagination, but there was a strange sense of familiarity about it, and he wondered why.

He smiled suddenly when it came to him; in the future that building would be rebuilt a little differently than it used to be, with a different roof. This was where he had begun his journey as a shinobi - where he had stolen the Scroll of Seals from _Ojii-san_, in the night that he had learned the _Kage Bunshin. _The Hokage's Residence.

_That _gave him an idea.

Naruto made his way through the hole in the roof just as lightning flashed once more in the sky, and thunder echoed across the village. No one heard him sliding playfully on the wet floor, finishing the move in a roll, landing somewhat awkwardly on a pile of rubble. He chuckled as he reminded himself to be more careful - even if there was no real danger, he could, after all, pop himself by accident.

Naruto gingerly felt around for the seal of his father's, the _Hiraishin's _connection that could be sensed even from afar, at least if you knew the technique to do so. It was an exercise he had used to learn the technique in the first place - only when the connection with a seal was established could he jump through space and time. Of course, after his recent mishap, he was a little wary of trying it again, outside of an emergency.

He remembered those training days fondly, though. Sometimes, he had Konohamaru hide all the special kunai he had, and then Naruto would go looking for them in the whole village, and his range would very slowly expand over time. This time, it was no game - and he could make use of a special kunai or two, since it was certainly more effective than the seals he could place manually, considering their limited duration and range.

One of the kunai was at the hospital, with Boss, and since he knew exactly where it was, he could sense it without any trouble. It was probably booby-trapped, given that it had been left in plain view for him, but it counted. There was, however, another one nearby, one that he could actually sense right now, despite his still limited sensory range. As Naruto moved around the room, trying to pinpoint where he felt the seal, the roof swayed back and forth, threatening to fall on him. Naruto swore, getting mightily tired of everything falling to pieces around him.

_Fate really has it out for me today, doesn't it?_

Reaching out with his chakra, he traced the seal to a tall pile of rubble, most of which was a collapsed wall that had evidently contained a small secret compartment. He quickly dug in, moving the remnants of twisted metal aside, searching with a renewed sense of purpose. A glimmer of bright steel was finally uncovered and he reached in to grasp the three-pronged kunai. Then he pulled.

It came through - but it was not alone. It might not have been his fault, in truth - the storm had been trying to collapse the building for a long while now. The roof swayed as the wall quite suddenly sagged further, and with a rushing onslaught of water, it snapped and fell down in a single heart-stopping moment.

Naruto cursed up a storm and rolled from under the collapsing structure, barely dodging a shower of splintered wood and shattering clay tiles. Before he could rethink his actions he jumped directly out of the hole he had entered, tumbling through the rain and sliding along what remained of the roof. Soon, he hear the cracking - the whole thing was coming apart under his feet, and he was losing his footing.

He moved like his life depended on it, and he could not stop an embarrassed blush from appearing on his face as he thought of Boss' reaction later on - the clone was glad that he was not here to see it, knowing that he would have been dismissed instantly. His _Henge _had dropped somewhere along the way, revealing the ANBU mask he had taken for himself, and he was about to recreate the guise of an academy student - probably the best for getting away with things he should not be doing - when there was another loud crash behind him, and he was forced to move once more, dashing down the walls with his chakra only barely allowing him to stick to it until he reached solid ground.

A bright streak of lightning burst overhead. All other sounds died away as Naruto froze; right in front of him stood one of the ANBU - the true Rat, this time. The man stared directly at him, not moving an inch, and Naruto sighed in resignation. He had been caught, then.

He quickly amended the observation, noting that he still had his Boar ANBU mask on. With all the excitement, his hood had come loose, revealing his bright blond hair - and he was still holding a three-pronged kunai. And, was running from an accidental destruction of the upper floor of the Hokage Residence.

Crap.

He used a quick _Kawarimi no Jutsu_ to flash back to the top of the building, switching himself with a loose clay tile even as he could _feel _the sheer amount of chakra it cost him - he was slowly running out. The rain swept away the dust from his path as he leaped once more, making his way towards the Monument. There, in the curtain of heavy rain he should be able to slip through and escape. Maybe Rat would think that he had been mistaken.

He could hear swift footsteps behind him.

_Tough luck._

Naruto stiffened as he raced up the stone wall, crossing over his father's face with two quick jumps. He briefly wondered about what he would do in Rat's place. Follow, or call for help? When he was at the top of the monument, ready to hurl himself away at top speed, a voice reached him from behind - much closer than he anticipated.

"Wait! Stop!"

Reluctantly, but knowing that he could not outrun this person while wounded, Naruto turned back towards him. Rat was _fast, _it seemed. The figure stood before him with his hands in his pockets, rain making the mask seem like it was crying.

Naruto kept his silence, water flowing down his hair. He did not bother with applying any sort of Henge - he had been seen without it already. He shook his head tiredly, ready to pop himself - it had been a long time coming. "It wasn't intentional," Naruto replied carefully, trying to guess at the Rat's reaction. For all he knew, there was still a way to talk himself out of this. _Hopefully. _"The building was coming apart..."

He saw the ANBU's eyes travelling to the kunai in his right hand. "Minato?" The voice had lost it's completely neutral tone. "What are you doing out here?"

Naruto frowned - not only was the voice was vaguely familiar, he was sure that he saw the request to confirm his identity. In ANBU code.

_Decisions._

"I am not Minato." He answered carefully, and he cursed his tongue for saying something so simple. He followed it with a sign for 'friend', at least.

"I know that much," Rat answered lightly. Now _there_ was a reply that Naruto had not expected. "You are a Kage Bunshin, aren't you?"

"How do you...?" The clone asked suspiciously. A Kage Bunshin made a perfect copy of the user. There was no way that someone could tell from a glance whether one was the true version or not - not even the Byakugan could boast that much.

Rat gestured to Naruto's legs. "You are injured. I can see that you have bandages under your clothes - your movements betray a serious chest wound as well, though you hide it well. Yet, from the moment I saw you yesterday night, you never bled. The strain from holding that beam should have torn open your wounds, but there was not a single drop - your bandages stayed exactly as stained as they were before."

Naruto just gaped with an open mouth, once again, thanking his luck for the mask. He had not expected an actual answer, much less such a well thought out one. Also - bleeding - was actually a trait of the _Kage Bunshin_ that he had not considered.

Then his mind caught up with what Rat had said.

"Wait - you knew I was in the village before, and you didn't try to stop me?"

The Rat laughed. "Yes - the wounds were suspicious in themselves, since I went through the ANBU files only hours before, and I saw none with a pattern of injuries like yours - not among our ranks, at least." He shrugged. "If I had said anything, it might have spiraled out of control, and I thought it was prudent to keep an eye out. You would have just flashed away, I suppose."

"I see," Naruto took in the voice and pose of the Rat and finally connected the dots. "I'm sorry for using you as my disguise at one point. I hope I didn't do you a disservice, Junichi-san."

"You?" Rat - Sarutobi Junichi - chuckled. "Never." He paused, cocking his head to the side slightly. "I am curious, though - when is my father letting you out from the Hospital? I saw when they brought you in - barely a spot of uninjured skin, and here you are, already sending clones into Konoha, saving civilians. Didn't you come to only yesterday?" Rat asked slowly. Then his eyes, the only visible feature, shone with astonishment. "He doesn't know that you made a Kage Bunshin, does he? Breaking hospital rules, hm? Well, you should really consider showing yourself openly, soon. The people could use it."

Naruto sighed, rubbing his head. "You're not really listening to what I'm saying, are you? I already told you-"

"I know, I know - Kage Bunshin. Still - if a clone can do all this, then I assume we'll get news, soon," Junichi said, and though Naruto attempted to respond, Junichi cut him off again. "I suspect that Fugaku-san connected a few dots as well - especially when you quoted the Will of Fire monument. Might want to avoid rumours."

"Does _everyone -_"

Rat laughed for the third time. "I only ever saw a fellow ANBU, trust me. Don't worry, I'll cover up the mess in the Hokage Residence for you. I suppose if anyone has right to wreck _that _place, it's you. The ANBU got most of your stuff out anyway, so you can just pick it up later." Before Naruto could say something more, he flipped backwards, jumping off the Monument in one swift motion, and waved as he vanished. "Later, Hokage-Sama."

Naruto would have torn his his hair out of frustration if that wouldn't have made him pop out of existence. "You people are impossible!" he shouted at the howling winds, but thunder ate his annoyed exclamation.

With a tortured sigh he pocketed the _Hiraishin_ kunai, flopping down on the wet stone one which was actually the Fourth's head, laying down another one of his father's temporary seals. Just in case. "We are not _that _similar," he grumbled for himself, running a hand through his bright blond hair.

* * *

The storm finally gave up when evening came, and though dark clouds still hung in the sky, they finally stopped their relentless assault. It was a bit of a relief compared to the downpour that Konoha had just suffered, and many people were outside despite the cold and the flooded streets. The first glimmers of the evening moon - half-full - pierced the darkness of the sky.

The end of the rain had reminded people that life went on, Naruto supposed, and this eve saw many leaving the confines of their homes. Jiraiya paced slowly on top of one of the running streams, using the flow of the water to ease his movements. He looked completely unperturbed when he passed some civilians wading ankle-deep in the water. His arms were crossed, and he was silent, deep in thought.

The man's current destination seemed to be the nearest Bathhouse, even though the white-haired nin had chosen a somewhat indirect route to his destination. In the nearest falling shadows of the evening, where the night lanterns did not reach, Naruto's watched the Sennin with interest, at the same time dividing it's attention to everything else around him. His chakra was sufficiently low, now, that he could probably pass for a civilian.

After Junichi had left, the clone had found himself doing a few minor D-rank missions under the guise of a Genin to pay off his debt, after which he had finally moved on to further reconnaissance, since he had mostly forgotten about his actual purpose for a while. Jiraiya seemed as good choice as any, and he considered what he had learned so far with narrowed eyes. If _Ero-sennin_ chose a roundabout way to his destination, there was usually a purpose behind it - he had learned as much during the years they had travelled together. Naruto wanted to know just what he sought out here in the flooded part of town, which was mostly abandoned as the inhabitants had sought out less soggy places to spend the night.

Naruto had never tried to properly shadow Jiraiya before, because when he had the opportunity he had been a Genin - and not a well-trained one, yet - and by the time the Fourth Shinobi World War was over, Jiraiya was long gone. Now, though, it seemed too good of an opportunity to waste. The clone smirked to himself. Jiraiya was good, but the man had not seen though his _Henge_. Even if he could, Naruto was still in the actual ANBU uniform and mask, which would provide further anonymity, though he doubted that his old teacher would be fooled for long.

The clone took a second to lean at the nearest wall, catching his breath. He took another look at Jiraiya. _The Memorial Stone_, the clone mused to himself when he spotted a particular shape in the distance, though he was not used to the buildings around it - probably they would be torn down in the near future, and not rebuilt. _Is he going there?_

Naruto quickly used a _Shunshin _to get a lot closer, panting nearly silently as he sheltered himself against a wall. Climbing onto the broken roof of a collapsed building, Naruto once again had to steady himself. The injuries Boss had suffered were rather extensive and to top that off he had worked himself to the very edge of exhaustion since last night. Still, Jiraiya had not even glanced in his direction - which was actually a bit suspicious. _Ero-sennin_ was heading straight for... Was that _Kakashi_?

The clone smiled weakly under the mask. It seemed, for a moment, that this younger Kakashi had a tendency to pop up everywhere he went.

Kakashi actually jumped when Jiraiya landed a hand on his shoulder. Naruto snickered silently. _Sloppy_. Grief and pain usually increased the difficulty of focusing on the tasks - maybe that was the explanation? Then again, he knew that Jiraiya wouldn't be so careless, ever. _Maybe it was all a game?_

That was a scary thought. Jiraiya had to have been investigating him - it might have meant that he knew of Kakashi's break-in at the hospital, and wanted details. That could be bad news - for if Jiraiya knew that Junichi shouldn't have been in the Hospital at the time, and connected the dots...

He had to assume that Jiraiya was onto him. There were just too many places where he might have messed up without realizing it. Naruto smiled behind the mask. It would be just like training with the white haired pervert during their trip together, except this time, he actually had a chance to outplay _Ero-sennin_ at his own game.

On a brighter note, the clone was completely sure of two things - first of all, beside _Ero-sennin_ and _Ojii-san_ he did not know many who could have the skill to evade his detection so successfully, and second, Rat had not told anyone of their talk, or that information would have inevitably found its way back to those people.

_Best not dwell on it too much._

The clone scooted slightly further back, stilling completely. With a soft flicker of his chakra he willed the wind to carry the sounds closer, to hear the conversation better, and at the same time his own breathing became completely silent. It was not really a Jutsu, more of a chakra control exercise for those with a wind nature, but like water walking, it had proved its usefulness many times.

"Where is your friend?" Jiraiya asked Kakashi, and the clone found great amusement in Kakashi's attempts in forming a blank look behind the black mask that covered most of his face - something that he had mastered in the future, but was clearly a work-in-progress right now. It would have tricked anyone who did not know the Jounin, but it certainly did not fool Jiraiya, who raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Maito Gai, of course, the loud green one," he repeated. "Where is he?"

"Probably sleeping. Or training. Or training while sleeping. He does that," Kakashi replied reluctantly, feigning a careless attitude, blank look finally snapping into place. He took out the newest Icha-Icha book in a seamless movement, holding it high above so the few raindrops wouldn't touch the pages, only the leather covers. "Maybe you could sign this, now that you're here?"

When Jiraiya shook his head, Kakashi just shrugged and opened the book in the middle. "What do you need Gai for, anyway?"

"What if I told you that he is accused of treason against Konoha?" Ero-sennin drew out the words slowly. Kakashi, somehow, managed to keep a straight look that did not give away anything. That might have had something to do with the book he was holding in his hand, the clone mused to himself - there had to be a reason why he took it out in the first place. Maybe it was really a training technique after all?

Or Kakashi was just a pervert already.

"I'd say that Gai would rather die than betray Konoha in any way," Kakashi replied, turning a page. "But either way, I still don't know where he is."

Jiraiya smilled thinly. "You didn't know that he attacked and knocked out an ANBU guard, and staked out a place no one was allowed to enter in the first place?" he pressed on. "Nor who could have been with him, since it was work of two intruders, not one?"

Kakashi closed the book, and turned back to face the older nin head on. "Not a clue."

They stood like that for a while, glaring at each other. Kakashi, smaller, with his single eye shining with reflections of the nearby lantern, and Jiraiya, with swaying white mane of hair.

"Good. Keep it that way." Jiraiya relented suddenly, crossing his arms and giving Kakashi one last stare. "I'm not going to report you two for any official reprimand - but you'd better not repeat that little stunt. You were lucky that nobody got trigger-happy."

Kakashi blinked.

"It is - _understandable_, that you went in," the Toad Sage added. "You wanted to see Minato. I get it, believe me."

The clone twitched in place. _Jiraiya was mixing him up with his father? Again? _Was the crazy hermit actually buying that _mad_ theory of _Ojii-san's _about him being an addled Minato, or was he fishing for information?

Kakashi did not reply, but just turned slightly towards the Memorial Stone. There, a handful of names must have been added just recently - the stone looked carved fresh, the new names shining brightly in the light of the moon, defying the darkness and shadows.

"Do you think he'll survive?" Kakashi asked then, looking at the stone with a strange expression in his eye. "Will sensei recover?"

Jiraiya frowned then, rubbing his chin, thoughtfully. "I don't know. What do you think?"

"If I _had _seen him," Kakashi allowed himself to reply, choosing words with great care. "I think I would believe there is a chance - but that he's not so sure about it himself. The village needs him though, to watch over them." He looked away. "_I _need him," he murmured.

Jiraiya nodded, the nod almost unnoticeable. "He has passed on his teachings, hasn't he? Either way, you would still have that."

Kakashi glared, but it was half-hearted. "Just... tell me when you can, alright?"

There was another pause. It was longer, and considerably more awkward.

"Fine, I promise. Go get some work done, kid," the older nin said, breaking the silence. "We need every available nin helping with the repairs - the village is going to be busy for a long while. We'll need to rebuild schools, walls, whole streets, and the people will need even longer to get over it, if they do so at all. This was not really a war - but it was close enough for the people who live here."

Kakashi did not move.

"That was not a suggestion." Jiraiya said in a harsher voice. "Or I might remember some things that I chose to forget."

"Yes, sir." Kakashi grumbled and leaped towards the nearest rooftop.

Jiraiya remained behind at the memorial stone, reaching out for a moment before he turned, his eyes boring directly into Naruto's, who just barely managed to stop himself from jumping. The white-haired man's smile was broad as he gestured to his side. "Boar, I can see you up there! Come."

Naruto cringed minutely, glancing down from his roof to the street below. Jiraiya stood there, looking right at him. "Well, hurry up, would you?"

Reluctantly, the clone made his way down from the roof, flipping from the top and landing easily on a stream of water, reflexively focusing his chakra down to his feet to support himself. He raised himself into proper form immediately to fit his persona.

On the inside, he felt like laughing, even as it would have been a nervous laugh. Quickly running through his memories of the last day, the clone considered the chances of Jiraiya knowing who he was. The answer was obvious - to escape Jiraiya's notice in the field of the _Ero-sennin_'s expertise, spying, was nearly impossible.

"Yes, Jiraiya-sama?" He asked in an impassive voice that he had heard from numerous ANBU - giving nothing away by the tone, and sounding slightly dismissive at the same time.

The Sannin smirked, and glanced up at the cloudy night sky, his white hair blown along with the wind as he looked into the distance, where smoke still billowed up, touched with the silver of the moonlight.

Naruto, taking in Jiraiya's expression mirrored his smirk under the mask. "Do you need help finding the Frog mask to help keep this conversation going?"

Jiraiya gulped on his next words and then shook his head. "You've been a busy bee, haven't you?"

"I'll take that as a no," the clone pressed on, seeing that he was right on target. "What would Fukasaku think about your choice of disguise?"

Jiraiya crossed his arms. "Funny you should bring him up. I had a long conversation with Fukasaku about you, earlier today. It was plenty interesting."

"Oh?" Naruto blurted rather eloquently. "He didn't know me, I figure?"

"He did not." Jiraiya shook his head. "Still, he was more than willing to come up with some guesses, and he suggested an interesting experiment to figure a few things out."

"And what was that, then?" Naruto scratched at the back of his neck, an idea forming in his mind. "Ah, I should have suggested _that _myself, I think - you checked the toad contract, didn't you? I could summon Gamatora when I needed him, that might mean that my name is actually on the contract, still. That doesn't make much sense, actually - hadn't thought about it..." He frowned. "It shouldn't have worked at all, come to think of it."

Jiraiya smiled. "Still, it _would _confirm some part of you story, would it not? I know I can trust the toads, after all."

"What was it?" the clone asked anxiously.

"I'll show it to your real self later." Jiraiya laughed. "Better keep you guessing, right?"

"I forgot that you don't play fair, _Ero-sennin_." Naruto pouted. "I'm telling Fukasaku about the frog mask the first chance I have. What would the toads thing of you wearing _that?_"

Jiraiya grimaced. "So, you saw through _that _disguise, then. Did you also realize that the orders you were given were fakes? I expected you to cross the walls and flee the first chance you had, honestly. That's why I arranged them in a first place. Any good spy would use such an opening to get information to his superiors, even if his personal security is compromised."

"Oh," the clone observed, shrugging. "I actually forgot them amidst all the excitement. Figured there might be something fishy with them, though, that's why I put it off."

"Of course." Jiraiya sighed. "And instead of running away - you went and made yourself useful."

"People needed my help," Naruto answered, staring owlishly. When exactly had Jiraiya been on to him, that the man knew exactly what he had been up to? "I guess you had time to find me during the night. Were you one of the ANBU again?"

"You know that I won't answer that," Jiraiya commented. "Although, I find myself curious about something you could answer. When you talked with Kakashi, back in the hospital, why did you lead him on like that?" His eyes narrowed, and he crossed his arms. "If you are _Naruto, _as you claim, what possessed you to say such things to a boy that you must know is hurting?"

Naruto was glad for the mask, for his face was suddenly white as paper. "I'm sorry? What?"

Jiraiya sighed as he deflated. "Ah, of course." His smile was not really friendly. "You are a Kage Bunshin - you don't know about that conversation at all, do you? That's such an easy way out."

Naruto shook his head, unsure what the Boss had been doing in his absence, and unwilling to comment on it. He wondered what Kakashi had talked about with the Boss, that he would so casually avoid even mentioning it to Jiraiya.

"Very well. Be the silent one, then," Jiraiya muttered. "I will inquire with your real self about that." He paused, staring out over the devastation and sighing. "You've had enough time to get a good idea of the state of the village, and its people. What do you think of Konoha,Naruto? Please, do speak your mind."

Naruto frowned, looking over the mud-drenched streets and the dilapidated remains of buildings that had yet to be rebuilt. "They're weakened, discouraged. Rudderless, I suppose."

Jiraiya nodded. "Why do you think that is?" he asked, the shadow of the smirk returning to his face. "If the village is so _rudderless, _as you put it - then what's the real reason for it? The attack is more than a week ago, and the village has suffered great disasters before. It's always survived."

Naruto shrugged. "I suppose it's that they don't know what's going to become of the village." He frowned. "If the villagers believed that the Fourth was dead, maybe they would move on, concentrate on rebuilding. Right now, they're not sure what to think, when all they see is Ojii-san trying to stall things. That was probably one of the reasons why Junichi-san had such a hard time from the Uchiha, earlier - I'm sure you know what was going on with me then, too. You're too good of a spy to have missed _that _commotion."

Naruto turned towards the memorial stone, and leaned forward to touch it with his slowly drying fingers. He traced the name of his mother, Uzumaki Kushina, and then glanced to the empty space, where many names were still unwritten, meant for those would join her in the future as ones who died in the service of the village.

"You should have added dad to the stone," Naruto said, his voice shaking a little as he clenched his fist. He took a breath to steady himself. "He was one of the greatest shinobi to have ever lived, you know that as well as I do. To let the village believe that they might see him again is - it's too much of a lie. You know who I am, now. Just tell them that he died in the hospital. It - it's better to end it in one decisive strike, than to let them continue like this... It's cruel."

Jiraiya looked down on the memorial stone with a somber expression, and he did not speak for a while. Finally, he turned to Naruto. "You and I know that Minato is gone, sacrificing himself for everyone here. We know what that foolhardy hero did for everyone. But the villagers, even most of the shinobi - they only know that he was victorious over the creature, that he drove it off. Already, tales are spreading of his victory, and not just in Konoha. It's not as easy to end things, now."

Naruto frowned, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"You have heard the villagers speaking. So have spies, or even those who travel between villages, and they are spreading rumours. Although the destruction that was wrought here is mentioned a lot, Minato was always a popular person - and now he is credited with defeating the strongest of the Bijuu. That kind of information will set every village on edge."

Naruto shivered, and an uncomfortable suspicion occurred to him. "You're saying that if you tell people that dad is dead - other countries are probably not going to believe you, because all the rumours say the opposite. They'd just think Konoha is taking advantage of the moment."

Jiraiya's gaze sharpened, and he grinned, this time genuinely. "You've got a head on your shoulders, eh? You're right, and the reason that the rumours started in the first place was actually you, so I'm expecting your full cooperation on whatever we decide to do about this. Because, inevitably, we will have to deal with the fallout."

"You've lost me." Naruto cocked his head to the side. "Terrible as it is - dad's gone. The other Kages might not believe it right away, but it'll only take a few months before even other nations move on to other topics when he doesn't pop up again."

"They won't wait that long to act," Jiraiya said with certainty. "A weakness like this is what other nations would use as an excuse for war. If Sarutobi-sensei were to take back his position, becoming Hokage again, while the rumours of Minato's survival still reign - he will be discredited as a stand-in, a figurehead. And then there's the villagers, who would probably not be happy about the Third regaining power while they are convinced the Fourth lives. Much less the Uchiha. We can't use war, but_ civil _war would be even worse."

"Figures that I'd make things turn out crappier," Naruto muttered darkly. "So we're damned either way, then? Tell people that the Fourth is dead - they won't believe it. Don't tell them, and they'll not let anyone else take over for him." He groaned. "Fantastic. All we need is to _raise the dead._"

"No." Jiraiya's expression grew even more serious. "We can't do something like that, but there are possibilities. Though Minato was popular, he was only Hokage for a brief time, and he had a small but tightly knit group of friends. He is known more by reputation than by experience."

Naruto's eyes widened at the implication. "Oh, no - you can't be thinking what I am thinking," he started protesting. "_Ojii-san_ is not going to stand for that, no way. Hell, _I _won't stand for it, either!"

Jiraiya turned towards him, raising an eyebrow. "I can tell that you're his kid, you know. The way you talked down Fugaku, that's what Minato would have done - heck, you probably made him suspicious as hell with that little performance. You have a certain way with people that's not that different from _his, _even if you have your mother's temper. Your - father - was famous for how he could handle people - almost everyone. Even if you aren't identical, we are in a dire need of someone like that. Sarutobi is a good leader of shinobi, but Konoha has civilians to worry about, who saw in Minato their hope for peace - and right now, it's more important to have a united village than a powerful one." He paused. "We need stability, so that we can rebuild," Jiraiya calmly added. "The loyalty of civilians is hard to earn, but easy to keep. We need their faith to restore a functioning village."

Naruto said nothing.

"You truly care about Konoha, I can tell," Jiraiya admitted. "Don't be mistaken. I am not offering you any kind of position, since that would be presumptuous - just a mission to consider, and one that I would constantly keep a watch on in any case. You managed to trick Kakashi in the hospital, so I don't believe it is beyond your abilities." He paused, letting the words sink in. "Think about it. And no more stepping out of line, or I'll lock up your chakra again - I'm well aware your real self undid my seals."

"What is it that has you pushing for this kind of solution?" the clone asked as he considered the insane suggestion that Jiraiya was dangling in front of him. "Did the Toads say something, maybe? The Honorable Geezer had another prophecy - is that it?

"You're too smart for your own good." Jiraiya crossed his arms. "And pretty annoying."

"Hey," Naruto commented as he saw Jiraiya shifting his centre of gravity, preparing for a sudden strike. "I can dismiss myself, you know, and aren't you going to answer my question?"

Jiraiya glared at him. "There is no new prophecy. There. Can you make yourself sparse now? Your presence in the village has touched too many undercurrents already. The more you stay around before we have fine-tuned the details of a possible arrangement, the more difficult things will be."

"Fine," the clone glowered. "I expect you to come and speak with the real me as soon as you can, though. I can't imagine the Boss wants to stay in that dank room for much longer." Then he was gone in a puff of smoke, his mask awkwardly dropping into the water as Jiraiya caught the suddenly empty ANBU uniform with his left hand, snatching the Boar mask from the water a second later.

"What is this," he muttered to himself, as he drew out the three-pronged kunai from one of the pockets. Jiraiya stashed it inside the folds of his outfit, frowning. "I thought we had them all accounted for..."

A little scroll with undelivered orders floated peacefully in the water, forgotten.

* * *

A lone figure strolled on the road to Konoha, not exactly running, but his steps were fast and his wide stride carried him quickly. From the measured and even pace, it appeared that the man had been travelling at the very same rhythm for quite a while, and was far from tired. His clothes were wet from travelling in the rain, and marred with splodges of dirt. A wide hat covered his head, hiding his face deep in its shadows, and a fat rope was tied around his chest in a hard knot.

As the man stepped on the puddles of water and let it splash around carelessly, he did not even glance at the pair of Konoha nin that were watching him - even when they started shadowing him, dashing between the trees growing at the side of the road, he just focused on moving towards the gate.

He did not acknowledge their presence, and they had not yet decided if he was someone they should reveal themselves to. Under the shadows hiding his face, the pale expression shifted into a content smirk.

Konoha's wall was already visible in the distance when the patrol finally got fed up with his supposed ignorance, and a Chuunin landed on the road, directly in his way. "What is your purpose in Konoha?" the man asked forcefully, his hitai-ite glimmering in the moonlight.

"I come merely to deliver a message," the figure replied with a strange reverberating hiss, stopping just before the Chuunin who clutched the kunai in his hand. A sliver of killing intent hung in the air with his next words. "A message for the Hokage."

"What is it, then? Who are you?" The Chuunin frowned and took a step back from the overwhelming presence of the man. He almost cowered back, and only his iron will prevented him from showing his nervousness.

The man laughed strangely, removing his hat and taking in the Chuunin with snake-like eyes and an amused expression on his sheet-white face. "It is for the Hokage's ears only. Surely you understand that much about my comings and goings."

"Orochimaru-sama," the Chunnin said with some relief, nodding in recognition even as he suppressed a sneer. Equal amount of respect, fear and hate mixed into the name, but he forced himself to be professional - this man was a Konoha shinobi, even if not one he cared to think about.

"Please alert the Hokage as to my arrival," the Snake Sannin licked his lips slightly as he glanced aside at the Chuunin that remained in the trees, ready to help out when necessary. "Now, if you would get out of my sight, I did not come here to deal with the little kids. I bring a warning."

"A warning?"

Orochimaru nodded shortly, an amused smile curling around the edge of his lips. "It seems that someone is coming to take his revenge on our esteemed leader - and quickly. I would like to speak with Minato-san at his earliest convenience."

* * *

**A/N**

As before, this chapter was heavily edited by Roarian. Thanks for making my dyslexic pomeranian output into something worth looking at. ;D.

Even where originally this chapter was supposed to be joined with the previous one, now it has turned into a living creature of its own.

Next chapter might take a whole month to write out, since my life seems to have decided to cram all the possible deadlines into the first two weeks of May, and it might end up like hell to manage everything.


	7. Mask of a God

**Steal My Thunder God**

**Chapter VI - Mask of a God**

* * *

Naruto sensed Jiraiya coming as he finished reviewing the memories of his clone, its experiences rushing in as a flood of quick impressions and half-remembered conversations. He did not move from his position, legs crossed, seated in the middle of his cold and hard hospital room's floor, for there was no reason to.

It was simple: his bed had been too soft for proper meditation, but it was easy enough to imagine himself back at Mount Myoboku's pond while on a hard surface. He envisioned Fukasaku keeping a close eye on his progress, wielding his stick like a mallet, threatening to whack him over the head at the slightest imbalance of energies. Natural energy flooded inwards from afar, and he could sense everyone for miles around, every twinkling blur another shinobi. Distantly, he could even sense his other, much younger self, being taken care of in another part of the hospital.

Jiraiya entered at that exact moment, with considerably less subtlety than usual. He threw open the door with a violent slam and a cheesy grin, but stopped in his tracks when he realized that his target was not in bed, where he was supposed to be. Naruto tore open his eyes, fixing the older man with a questioning look, not showing a hint of surprise. "Well, that was rude."

"A thousand picked toads!" Jiraiya blurted after a moment as he took in the distinct features of Naruto's perfected Sage Mode: the oblong pupils, orange pigment around his eyes, and the unmistakable presence of natural energy in the air around them. For a moment, the man seemed utterly speechless, his raised hand falling to his side. The very next moment, with barely the faintest of warnings, Naruto's hand flashed out reflexively and caught a kick that the white-haired nin had aimed at the back of his head.

He looked over his shoulder with restrained annoyance as the Bunshin in front of him dissipated. "..._That_ was a lot worse!"

"Good block," Jiraiya said shortly, straightening and smiling sheepishly. "...I'm sorry about that? Won't do it again? Forgive me?"

"What the heck was that even for, _Ero-sennin_?" Naruto whined as he shook his hand more in annoyance than pain. Still, he realized from the dull ache in his hand that the attack would probably have flattened him if he had not been using his Sage Mode; his old teacher had not held back much, that was for sure. Naruto was again reminded just how strong his teacher was, even if the man scarcely showed it.

Jiraiya scowled as he looked down on Naruto. "You're using Natural Energy!" he exclaimed as if that explained everything about his sudden assault. "Sage Mode, even! Not even _I _managed to get all the way..." He paused, his expression serious. "So... You really were my apprentice, then. And a damn good one, apparently."

"Of course I was," Naruto muttered irritably, turning as he got to his feet. With harsh, toad-like eyes, his fearless stance was even more impressive than usual, covered in blood-stained bandages. "It's not like I haven't done this Sage Mode thing before, you know," he said. "I learned how to balance the energies ages ago from the toads at Mount Myoboku. I got the contract from you, at that!"

Jiraiya crossed his arms, frowning. "That may be true, but you should have given me _warning _that you were going to do this. It's too dangerous to try wielding natural energy alone, since you could turn to stone if you do it wrong! Also, you just got a hell of a wallop to your system, so what if you overcompensated for the loss of the Kyuubi? What would you do without anyone around to fix it?"

"You were trying to hit the energy out of me?" Naruto asked incredulously, cocking his head to the side. "Don't you need a special type of wood for that? You know, like the old geezer Fukasaku and that vicious stick of his?"

"No," Jiraiya said immediately, and he winked. "Not if you know the details. Oh, ho, the teacher still has a few legs up on the student, eh?"

Naruto doubted that his toadish mentor had been completely truthful, but dismissed it as unimportant. He waved his still tingling arm again and sighed. "Now, I'm sure that trying to kick the stuffing out of me was one of your brilliant spur-of-the-moment ideas, but keep it to yourself next time." He grumbled something insulting under his breath, before he paused. "What was the rush, anyway?"

"Ah, yes," Jiraiya said with a roll of his eyes, and he raised a hand to his chin. Naruto had seen the gesture often enough on their travels, and it usually meant the man was up to no good. "I need to get a few things straight before we run out there and meet everyone, and things are going a little faster than I hoped. It can't wait, I'm afraid."

"Well, that was super-vague." Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Not going to tell what got you running in the first place, then? Trying to keep me guessing? It's getting a little annoying."

"Unless you ask _properly_, I won't tell." The white haired nin gave Naruto a short, teasing sort of grin, and it seemed convincingly genuine. "Look, it's true that we don't have much time before we'll have visitors. You know of our future, or so you have said, and I can't let that kind of thing just slip by without mention. I need you to be honest with me, here."

Naruto took a deep breath, considering the repercussions of just blurting out what was going to happen to someone in the past. He had to admit, if there was one person that he knew to be trustworthy, it would have to be Jiraiya-sensei. Whatever else he was, loose-lipped was certainly not one his problems, unless he wanted it to be. He would never part with a secret he promised to keep.

"Fine," Naruto said, trying to guess at Jiraiya's reason for rushing in after leaving his clone so calmly. "I can tell you a few things. As long as you promise not to act rashly on what you learn." Naruto raised an eyebrow. "I´m guessing that the Third is away somewhere else, and you can't wait for his presence anymore, so you ran right here. You're playing up the familiarity too, so you can tug at my heartstrings and all that."

Jiraiya did not say anything, and that was enough confirmation.

"I'm not going to pry further, but only because I do really trust you." He paused for a brief moment, then nodded. "There is something I should tell you, before we get into the whole future business. Something my father wanted me to relay for you."

Jiraiya stopped breathing for a second, and his eyes widened. "_What? _You mean... from Minato?"

"Yeah. Dad said that you should remain the same as you are," he started with a small smile, his voice mimicking the same inflections his father had used without even realizing, as he thought back to that meeting inside his seal. "I guess even with your lecherous and annoying habits, you still had a good place in his memories, huh? What did he describe you as, again? Cheerful in face of danger, serious in meetings of the council, and insightful when it matters? He said your heart was always in the right place..."

Jiraiya took a deep, hissing breath. "_When -"_

Naruto raised a hand to halt his teacher momentarily. "Also, he told me that travelling around the world, you corrected more wrongs than he could in his short time as the Fourth Hokage. He seemed to think you could handle things without him."

Jiraiya closed his eyes for a moment. "Yeah. It sounds like something he would think, the sentimental idiot. You seemed like you were his ghost for a minute there." His eyes met Naruto's, and they were piercing. "Did he tell you all that at the sealing of the Kyuubi, then?"

"No... It's complicated." Naruto admitted slowly. "Let's say that a piece of my father lingered behind, for a short while, in me. It took me some time to make sense of what he left me. I'm still figuring it out, I suppose." He scratched his belly distractedly. "He is gone, now, I think. Feels like he's still around though in some ways, which is a bit confusing..."

Jiraiya scratched his chin. "Well, that's bound to be a hell of a story. Talking with spirits and the like is not exactly commonplace these days."

"There isn't much I could do to explain," Naruto admitted, thinking of the echo of his father that he barely comprehended even now, a last remnant of chakra with a will of its own in a seal never meant for it. It had submerged itself into his chakra system upon its dispersal, instead of vanishing entirely as chakra usually did, and it remained there, occasionally manifesting as some stray impression, some vague recognition of things that he had never seen before.

"I'm sure," Jiraiya muttered.

"Leaving that aside," Naruto said, frowning. "I've never known you to ask questions without a good reason, but I have to warn you that my tale's not the brightest. It has a _decent _ending, I suppose, as far as I've seen it, but the future wasn't too great for a lot of people..."

Jiraiya nodded, and he flopped down onto the floor in a squat, so that Naruto too could safely get his weight of his legs, for which he was silently thankful. He took up his meditative pose out of habit, and Jiraiya copied him. For a moment, the two just stared at each other, as if reading his every movement, and Naruto assumed that was probably the truth where Jiraiya was concerned.

"You mentioned that I was _dead_," Jiraiya began and his jaw twitched. "I'm betting it wasn't old age that got me, either. At least, I hope it wasn't, since there should be many years left for me still. I don't intend to let my Icha Icha novels unfinished, or women unviewed!" He winked.

Naruto smiled as he looked at his teacher's face, from his marked cheeks up to those curious, brilliant eyes that he had honestly missed a lot in the years that he had travelled alone. He knew that Jiraiya was all business under the mask of silly pervert, even now, just as he had been when they were travelling together. He always kept an ear to the ground, even in the most embarrassing of places. Naruto acknowledged that he had not realized just how much the man had shown him on that three-year trip until long after the fact. Even seemingly mundane tasks had some lesson hidden in them with the Toad Sannin, if you looked deeply enough.

It was just his luck, of course, that the very first thing his teacher brought up was the one part of their shared history that he so desperately refused to think about. Doubly so, now that the living, breathing version sat before him, slightly less wrinkled but every bit as clever and cool. "I can tell you about almost anything else, but not that," Naruto said softly as he shook his head. "_Especially_ not that."

"Why?" Jiraiya asked simply.

Naruto bit his lip. "It's pointless to talk about it. It won't happen." He offered a sad smile. "That's one of the things that I _have _to prevent, now that I have the chance to do it, you must understand. And I will do so, personally. Whatever else I'll do now that I'm back here, at least I can do _that._"

"I appreciate that, but you must have realized it's the most obvious question I was going to ask after you so blatantly hinted at it," Jiraiya observed. "If you're keeping important things to yourself, it might mean you end up mistrusted, particularly by the Third. Besides, it can't be _that _bad, really..."

"You'd think. Just ask about something else," Naruto repeated with a shiver.

Jiraiya tapped his cheek contemplatively. "Hmm. It can't have happened until we had some time to get to know each other, that's obvious, and I don't see myself as giving a child under fourteen the honor of editing my works. Even if you are a genius like your father."

Naruto looked at Jiraiya incredulously.

"I have standards, you know." The Sannin grinned. "So, that gives me fourteen years at the very least, then. You're what, twenty-two years old now?"

"Twenty-three," Naruto said wearily.

"Right. So from the way you avoid talking about my tragic demise, I can tell it is an old wound, though obviously a deep one." Jiraiya clicked his tongue. "Half a decade, maybe? Sometime earlier than your eighteenth birthday then. You mentioned Nagato too, in close conjunction with my death. You either talked about these events with him, or he saw the whole thing himself."

Naruto tried to keep any comments to himself, but his eye twitched as he thought of Nagato and his Paths of Pain, strong enough to utterly decimate Konoha itself, at least until he had returned from training to take down his teacher's killer. He wondered if he should describe what happened, just to see how Jiraiya would have reacted to Nagato's ultimate sacrifice.

"I'm on the right track, I can tell. Sometimes no reaction is a reaction in itself," Jiraiya noted cheerfully, and Naruto sighed hopelessly. "So, if I find Nagato, his activities and plans would give me a clue as to the circumstan -" he continued, but was interrupted.

"_No_," Naruto snapped aggressively. "_Don't_ seek him out!" He cringed at the look he got from Jiraiya at his outburst. Momentary bafflement, a whiff of intrigue, then a decidedly empty expression of disbelief and grief. His teacher was way smarter than was good for him, when he was focused on a mystery, and he had just figured out the truth.

"Don't seek him out, eh? Because he..." Jiraiya paused, watching Naruto's eyes with a dull expression. "So, he's the one that got me in the end?" He shook his head slowly. "Little Nagato... What on earth happened to him, that he would do something like that?"

Naruto scowled. "You're too damn nosy, sensei." He admitted to himself that trying to keep something like that a secret from a spymaster was stupid in itself, especially if unprepared. The jig was up. "Why did you have to push? It's not the kind of thing I want to think about, since you're alive, right here, right now."

Jiraiya did not budge. "You know it had to be discussed. So, what happened?"

Naruto shrugged uneasily. "Well, the details have always been sketchy, but I know enough. You went on a mission to look for information on a member of Akatsuki, a group of expensive to hire missing nin that are hunting the Bijuu on the side of taking odd-contracts, if you don't know them. You weren't aware that Nagato was a part of that organization, and he set a trap. You didn't make out of it alive..." He swallowed thickly. "You... did send back a warning for us with the Toads, so we could fight Nagato when he came to Konoha."

"Akatsuki, eh?" Jiraiya murmured, eyes narrow.

Naruto stared darkly at the Sannin. "Don't go looking for Nagato alone, sensei. He's strong, stronger than you can believe. There might be some good left in him, but he got me close enough to releasing the Kyuubi that my seal was failing. It took that and more just to subdue him, so it would be a hell of a fight."

There was a very long, very heavy silence. Finally, Jiraiya nodded in begrudging agreement. "That will have to be enough for now. I'll have to find some way to approach Nagato without walking up to him and getting myself in trouble... I'm sensing there's a lot of history there you're still holding back." He showed Naruto a grin, though it didn't seem too real. "I can almost read your mind, just by your expressions. You're a lot like your mother in that way. Your emotional attachment's made you rather careless. Or is that just because it's _me_?"

Naruto scowled. "Don't flatter yourself."

"Yeah, yeah, I thought so," Jiraiya said smugly. "So... Nagato. His fate in your future is troubling news, but we should have time enough to change matters here, since that was years from now. Other things are more immediately important." His eyes caught Naruto's and narrowed. "You said another thing that had me thinking for a long time. _All the Uchiha would be alive_. Now _that's _what I'd call a warning from the future! It gave me and sensei a headache, just trying to guess at the implications of what you were referring to."

Naruto took a deep breath. "You and the old man went through every word I have breathed since I arrived here, looking for clues? Figures. I should have watched my tongue..."

The Sannin smirked. "Since you talk about this event so distantly, I imagine this happened when you were little, before you had any real connections to clans and the like, since you grew up an effectively clanless orphan," he noted, ignoring Naruto's words. "There's no full emotional connection there, but you were touched by the event, weren't you? Everyone must have been, to some extent, since there are quite a few Uchiha around."

"You don't have to keep guessing Ero-sennin," Naruto said slowly, resigned. "You'd figure it out anyway. I don't know the specifics here either, but it happened when I was seven or eight years old. By the time I graduated, it was just known as the 'Uchiha Massacre.' It was... quite a mess."

"Every single Uchiha was killed?" Jiraiya asked, furrowing his brow. "Do you know who was responsible? Or who _will be_?"

Naruto paused for a moment, cocking his head to the side. "I would have said Uchiha Itachi, but as far as I know he was not the most important party involved," he said. "Supposedly, the Uchiha were planning something against Konoha, a coup of some sort. I don't think they are at this time, not yet, but I'm sure things are festering." He thought back to the confrontation between Junichi and Sasuke's father, and shivered.

"I was keeping an eye on you," Jiraiya muttered. "I know how things are with that clan."

"Right... Well, a _friend _told me that the Massacre was approved by the Third, but I never believed that the old man would agree to that. To kill every man, woman and child of an entire clan." Naruto shook his head sadly. "He might have been strong-armed into it; Danzou was certainly around to muddle with things."

"Of course he was," Jiraiya muttered. "Murder of traitors on a grand scale, and obliteration of a dangerous bloodline that cannot be kept in check? He'd probably be delighted at the opportunity."

Naruto paused, taking time to formulate his thoughts better, Jiraiya remaining pensive and silent. "That's how things start, I guess. The tension in the Uchiha clan grew after the Kyuubi's attack, and it would eventually erupt into violence, if not for the massacre. There are many questions that I don't have any answers to. Too many died before I could learn anything from them, including Danzou. Obito was there, though, and maybe Uchiha Madara was involved too."

"Wait, you said Uchiha Madara? _The _Uchiha Madara?" Jiraiya asked incredulously. "_How_?"

"_Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei_?" Naruto half-said, half-asked, and he raised an eyebrow at Jiraiya's incredulous expression. "Yes, the Second's technique, some improved version. Don't look at me like _that_. Madara had something to keep him going a lot longer than he should have, some infinite chakra source or another. He's the one behind Obito's madness, I think. The Massacre was one step in a plan that -" Naruto stopped himself. "No, I don't think he was trying to achieve the things he claimed he was, not in the end. Whatever true motives there were, I never figured them out. It's a problem to be solved a lot later."

"This _Uchiha Massacre_ has it roots in present day?" Jiraiya asked, and his eyes suddenly lit up with understanding. "Ah! In your time, when Hiruzen took the mantle of Hokage once again and he had a second reign after Minato's death, he didn't change his opinion on Uchiha matters, did he? He went back to the way he'd always handled matters."

"Pretty much. And that drove a wedge between that clan and Konoha, one that was already there since the days of Madara's self-imposed exile," Naruto agreed. "I have seen something of the animosity between the Uchiha and most every other clan, and if it was left unchecked in my timeline, it might have been the spark Obito and Madara's schemes needed."

Jiraiya smiled, then. "So, Minato was already mid-way in fixing a problem we didn't even regard as serious enough to warrant attention," he commented wryly. "And he claims that _I_ achieved more? Anyway, convincing Sarutobi to drop his suspicions and restrictions on the Uchiha, when they were most definitely involved in this attack, is going to be near-enough impossible. That is, even if he believed every word you said."

"I know. But I'll lend whatever help I can," Naruto volunteered.

"Whatever help you can, huh?" Jiraiya murmured, and he smiled.

Naruto sniffed. "Yes, well, in return I'm going to need _your _assistance. I have learned most of my information gathering skills from you, but I won't pretend that I'm anything but a frontline fighter, first and foremost. The Massacre, and other events, I have no real way to study those without looking suspicious. I expect you are a lot better at that sort of thing, though, without getting caught. If we want to make use of this _opportunity_ of knowledge about the future, then I'm going to need every bit of help you can offer. That, and perhaps you can help me find out if there's a way back for me."

"Of course. I'd be doing that either way." Jiraiya stood up. "As long as we are working towards the same goals, I'll do whatever you think is wise, or we'll discuss it between us, at the very least. You remember my suggestion, the one I made to your clone?"

"Yeah. Me posing as my dad? That option's completely insane." Naruto held the gaze of his teacher steadily. "Though... I have considered that idea, since there's no way you would joke about something like that. I had to get over the initial insanity of the suggestion to get to what you're trying to achieve."

"And?"

"It's deception on a grand scale, and I don't want to play a game like that," Naruto said softly "It's never been my thing to lie to people's faces." He smiled. "Even you could probably pull it off better, simply due to experience," he added dryly.

"Hey!"

"It would mean I'd be lying to everyone, including myself," Naruto said, ignoring Jiraiya's fake fury. "I'd be crazy to even attempt to pull it off. You know that I'm not an actor, nor a politician. I'm mostly a bolt of destruction that you aim at whatever needs to be destroyed. That's how most of my shinobi career has been."

Jiraiya smirked. "I sense a '_but'_ there."

Naruto sighed. "Alright. I admit that I've stirred up too much to simply disappear from the village, that much is true," he acknowledged. "Even if I had an easy way back home, right now, the truth is I've already screwed up things just by being around." He looked away, staring at the three-pronged kunai that sat on a shelf, right next to the long white coat that his father used to wear. "Really, I can't in good conscience ignore what you're saying. If faking my identity is what it takes to fix things..."

"So you agree with me?"

Naruto closed his eyes, frowning. "I'm not inclined to agree with your weirdo plan, sensei. For one, there's too many differences for the disguise to work. I'm Naruto, after all. Not Minato. We're different people in many ways, and I have far more from my mother in terms of personality. Anyone who knew my dad is going to see through things in an instant."

"And yet, when you mimic your father, you're similar enough that it gives me the creeps." Jiraiya chuckled. "What's with the self-deprecation anyway, when we both know perfectly well what you can do, given that little mess with the Kyuubi? And now Sage Mode? Honestly..."

Naruto's toad-like eyes snapped to Jiraiya, and he snorted, followed by a merry, boisterous laugh that clearly took the Sannin by surprise. The white haired ninja simply didn't know how to cope with the suddenly cheerful bandaged ninja in front of him.

"Was it something I said?"

That sent Naruto into another brief laughing fit. "You couldn't have been more wrong, _Ero-sennin,_" he managed in between breaths. "Self-deprecating? Me? Honestly? I've boasted about just about every measly skill I ever _learned_, to anyone who would listen... You're reading things into me that aren't there, now!"

"Brat." Jiraiya grinned himself. "Should have suspected something like that, I guess. You're Kushina's same as you are his. Even if you seem to have a handle on her more... volatile character traits."

Naruto chuckled. "Well, Kakashi-sensei called me the number one unpredictable ninja of Konoha, and when I was smaller, I couldn't go five minutes without bragging about something. Mostly about becoming Hokage, actually."

"So, you had a dream like those of your parents, I see. You've outgrown that particular habit?" Jiraiya inquired.

Naruto shrugged. "Not really. There's no point to brag when everything you say is true." He grinned broadly as Jiraiya gave him another shrewd look.

"Wait. You, a Hokage? Seriously?"

Naruto stuck out his tongue, and jumped up, ignoring his protesting legs. The eyes of the Sage Mode were shining bright, with stalwart determination. "You don't believe me? Don't think measly old me could be Hokage? Where did you think I picked up the ANBU codes and all of that?"

"Eh, I figured you could have learned the ANBU code by being one of them, probably a squad leader. That was my guess," Jiraiya admitted. "I'm not always right, you know. Though, I suppose it's not completely unexpected from the likes of you, considering your parentage." He smiled thinly. "Does that mean that Sarutobi finally got his retirement?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, grimacing momentarily. "Not exactly... He died, and you and I convinced Tsunade to replace him as Hokage, and she did the job for a good ten years, though the war did a number on her. She got tired of it all and started running me through the loops, just so she could slack off and drink sake... I was going to be sworn in pretty soon. I wanted to show up with the _Hiraishin_ technique, and you can see where that got me..."

Jiraiya chuckled in response. "Teaching you to play the part of a Hokage will be easy then." He winked. "You have to know some things already, if you were being groomed for the job, right? It's just a matter of finishing that training. If Tsunade-hime thought you had it in you, then I'm betting you're every bit as competent as your old man."

Naruto groaned in annoyance, glaring at his teacher. "You're just going to push me until I say yes to your stupid plan, aren't you? Why do you want this so much? Do you honestly believe I could fool all the people that actually knew my dad, even if I did go along with this insanity?"

"Honestly? Yes," Jiraiya said simply. "And you'll have to confirm my trust, soon. The Third is supposed to come here for a visit, alongside Shimura Danzou." He smirked as Naruto's eyes suddenly narrowed. "Right, you get my point. I don't want Danzou to have access to information about the future. I'd rather he didn't know it exists at all. Taking the role of your father, at least for a little while, should give us time to deal with him."

"You think that the Third hasn't told Danzou anything yet?" Naruto asked with disbelief ringing in his voice. "Why wouldn't he? They were teammates, weren't they?"

"Sure, but Sarutobi's not stupid. Sensei values the explanations people come by themselves, he doesn't just tell everyone every little detail," Jiraiya said. "Your existence is a puzzle for him, as it is for me, so he'd be doubly careful with that information. Danzou has, so far, no real reason to doubt your identity, since he hasn't spoken to you yet. Any doubts he might have are built on very shaky ground, and if you pull off a convincing Minato, he will simmer down and skulk off to his sewers, or wherever he holes up these days."

"I see," Naruto said warily. "And the Third won't object to some stranger strolling around as the supposed the leader of his village? I would not be happy about it, that's for sure." He shook his head. "You always had some funny ideas, but this is stretching things, sensei."

"Yeah, yeah. Sarutobi might disagree with my idea, but not in front of Danzou," Jiraiya said easily. "If you trick the other bandaged bastard for a couple of minutes, you can pull one over on almost anyone in the village, I'd wager. If there's one person who is similar enough in chakra and physical attributes to do this, it would have to be you, Minato's own son. Besides, you mimic his voice of authority rather well." He winked. "The physical details can of course be helped along with a properly applied Henge. You've got Natural Energy to spare, so that should keep it going pretty much as long as you want..."

Jiraiya crossed his fingers, and a surge of chakra ran across Naruto's skin, prickling in his eyes. "There. It's subtle, so it's not enough to remove those scars on your cheeks... I guess you'll keep those. At least there's an obvious explanation for them."

"You changed my face?" Naruto sputtered, fuming, and he ran his hand across his cheeks carefully, wondering if he should be able to feel the change or not; Henge was a funny technique like that. "Will there be anything left of me after all of this? I don't want to just live as someone else!" He grumbled at Jiraiya's smile. "So, what if I can't fool Danzou for you? Why don't you use a Henge and fake it?"

"You know that would never work. For one, I'm way too tall," Jiraiya muttered. "If you can't do it, well..." He sighed. "Then we'd be giving Danzou an advantage he will use against us. Of course, he would do so rather quickly. With no immediate successor arranged, and with Sarutobi less than popular due to the long delay and his hesitance to return to the post... Well, Danzou would most likely get the Daimyo's approval and become the Fifth Hokage." He grimaced. "With the Uchiha planning our downfall in the shadows, pressured even more by such a man in a position of power, they might stage a coup early, and that's not so different from what lead to the Uchiha Massacre as you describe it. Except this time, it might be even worse." The man shrugged. "No pressure."

"And all that because of me? Why did I have to screw everything up?" Naruto scowled. "I guess outmaneuvering Danzou is old hat for you, isn't it? I never knew that bastard until after you, you know..." He gestured vaguely. "It's obvious, looking back, why you took an important role in Konoha's information network instead of just lazing about and writing your pervy books. You're concerned about the future of Konoha, just like me and dad. The wandering was basically just your cover."

"That sounds about right," Jiraiya said simply.

Naruto smiled slightly. "You wouldn't believe how many things make sense when you know you're involved in things. The way Danzou failed to gain a good foothold until you were out of the picture, or the explanation for why you left your hands free by denying the Hokage position, even when it was offered to you."

"Don't tell anyone," Jiraiya said with a mock pout. "They're going to start expecting me to behave seriously. Next thing you know, they'll have me doing menial work and hunting cats!"

"I won't tell." Naruto laughed shortly, but then paused, his gaze snapping to a blank wall. He sensed someone new, someone oddly familiar, and he was approaching swiftly. It almost felt like... But that was impossible, since this chakra was far less toxic, less vile. Almost _normal_, which was just _wrong._ "Someone is coming," he said vaguely.

Naruto considered his immediate options. He could quickly get into the bed and act like he was unconscious, and it would delay having to do anything, but the choice would remain. Alternatively, he could just come out and speak the truth about who he was to everyone, but it would put Danzou under the Hokage's hat, and that would just be a travesty; it had been bad enough in his own time.

So that left a third unpalatable option, and one that he was not sure could even be done, despite that remnant of his father's hiding behind his eyes, flowing into his words when he didn't pay attention. If he was going to follow Jiraiya's suggestion and take up his father's name in his stead, it would mean living a lie, and doing something so utterly alien to him that Sakura would have laughed in his face if he had suggested it_._

He would be lying to everyone, but he had his father's blessing, insofar as he could get one. He knew that the Fourth respected him, both incarnations he had met, in fact, and that the one inside him had been well aware of Jiraiya's plans, probably before Naruto himself had been. And then there was that other Naruto, an orphan if not for him. If he took up the Fourth's cloak, that would mean taking up the role of being a father, too. He was not sure if he was ready for that, even if he would be able to anticipate the kid's preferences like it was nobody's business. _Every night is a ramen night!_

"I still don't know your reasons for this ruse, sensei," Naruto murmured darkly. "Alright. I suppose I've got my mom's impulse control, and you'll just keep needling away until I give in, and I know you always convince me in the end. What the hell, I'll give it a try."

He released his Sage Mode, and in that last instant he saw the surrounding chakra signatures more sharply than before, his clarity of mind giving him a moment of focus. He had been right in recognizing the chakra signature that approached them, though it was different enough from what he remembered that it surprised him.

"_Orochimaru_," Naruto breathed out a name as a the faint sounds of commotion in the corridor reached them, and he saw a momentary smile flicker across Jiraiya's face. Emotions ran through Naruto in quick succession: a spike of hate, a shiver of fear, the familiar confusion that always seemed to follow the snake-summoner around.

At different times, Orochimaru had been the Third Hokage's Assassin, Sasuke's traitorous teacher, and even briefly an _ally _in the Fourth Shinobi World War. This, though, was not that Orochimaru. If he was here, in the village, and Jiraiya was not chasing him down, that meant he had not yet defected. He had yet to be found out by the Third. Perhaps he had not even descended to performing trials on Konoha's own civilians, the crime which had finally gotten him kicked out of Konoha, leading to the creation of the Sound Village. Right now, right here, Orochimaru was still one of the legendary Sannin_._ Loyal, as far as anyone around him knew.

The door was already opening when Naruto steeled himself against the memories and emotions that tried to wrestle free, and his Natural Energy faded away into nothingness. Worry settled over him; Danzou was one thing, since the man at least had Konoha's best interest at hand, even if it was for a warped purpose. Orochimaru was a complete unknown. Perhaps a ruthless enemy, or still loyal at this moment, even if he was considering unsavory research, and working with shady people. Naruto wondered if he could act like his father in front of someone with whom he had so much personal history?

And besides that, he wondered at the purpose in this visit, without even the Third as a companion. Why would Orochimaru, neither teacher nor close friend of the Fourth Hokage, come to visit him in the hospital? Had he even been in the village these last few days? It was unlikely, since Naruto was sure he would have noticed his chakra's presence much earlier than now. Of course, he could not accuse Orochimaru of anything, not before he had discussed matters with Jiraiya.

Regardless of where Orochimaru stood, Naruto realized he had to go with the flow. He forced himself to breathe slowly and calm down, and thought of that friendly smile from behind the bars of his seal, that person who was far wiser than he had ever been. He could almost imagine his father's amused smile, just behind his own.

Naruto opened his eyes the very moment that the pale-skinned Sannin strolled into the room. The bodyguard posted at the corridor was looking around the corner, unsure as to what exactly he should be doing, be it returning to his post or sounding the alarm. Certainly he would not have expected that _two _of the Sannin would waltz right in. The guard in question was Genma, someone Naruto actually recognized, instead of the usual ANBU Naruto had expected to see. That had to have had Jiraiya's hand in it. He had doubtlessly replaced the ANBU with the official bodyguards of the Hokage, loyal to the one holding the hat before any others, to literally root out any Root members. It probably also explained how Orochimaru had waltzed right in, since he and Jiraiya had long shared a team.

"Orochimaru-san," Naruto said carefully, slipping into his father's voice without hesitation; it felt almost natural, which was _weird. _He barely inclined his head, just enough to remain polite, but not one bit more than necessary; the gesture showed none of his anxiety. "How kind of you to visit."

"It is good to see you, Hokage-sama," the man hissed in such a tone that Naruto was unsure if it was a genuine greeting of respect, or something wholly different. The serpentine man's eyes slid to the side, narrowing slightly. "Jiraiya."

The Toad Sage smiled and moved towards the new arrival, slapping his hand on the man's shoulder, much to Orochimaru's displeasure. "Still alive then, I see? I thought you were off on one of your expeditions?" The unsaid question, 'why are you here?' hung in the air between them.

Genma turned to Naruto with a questioning gaze, waiting for some instruction. Naruto gestured for him to wait with yet another variation of the very same ANBU code that his clone had used time and time again. He paused momentarily, considering the gesture he had just made, one meant specifically for the Hokage Guard Platoon. Except Tsunade had not yet taught him those yet.

_Dad, what did you do...?_

Focusing on the present, Naruto spoke. "How pressing is the problem?" he asked out loud, while Orochimaru, rather less composed than he was used to, looked ready to snap at Jiraiya for his silly enthusiasm. The snake-summoner turned back towards Naruto, and he managed to keep thinly-veiled annoyance off his face, which was quite impressive. "You wouldn't be here unless it was important, I'm sure," Naruto continued. "You and your teammate can make up for lost time at a later time."

"Ah, come on, I haven't seen him for at least half a year," Jiraiya complained. "Can't I bother him for just a moment?" His eyes betrayed a certain hesitance, as if it just now occurred to him how risky his crazy plan was. So, Jiraiya was trying to avert Orochimaru's suspicion, then. As if that would ever work.

"I see that you haven't changed a bit," Orochimaru said to Jiraiya, and he sighed theatrically. Naruto did not buy the act. Inside, both the Sannin were doubtlessly weighing every word and movement, trying to make sense of him. Orochimaru looked over Naruto's bandages without calling overt attention to them, quietly measuring his reactions, observing the lack of unnecessary movements and deducing his injuries from those markers. If Naruto had not seen him do just that before, he might have missed it.

Jiraiya's presence was not entirely welcome to the snake summoner, Naruto guessed. It was just his luck that the other Sannin used the very same gap in Sarutobi's timetable to meet up with his 'Hokage'. Naruto only needed Tsunade to come in now to check upon his health, and that would be it. A full set.

"Come on, speak up, Orochimaru-san," Naruto said easily, and a small smile worked its way to his face as he took in the fact that the Sannin before him was obviously less experienced than the one he remembered, if probably every bit as powerful. At the very least, he was not quite as mad as the older version of him. "I assure you, Genma's not going to repeat anything you say without my express permission," Naruto pointed out.

He held back a shiver as Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. The Sannin, it seemed, had made up his mind about something. Almost imperceptibly, he seemed to relax. It wasn't a sort of thing that Naruto would have caught in a casual situation, but his senses were already in overdrive, afraid to make a single mistake. What did it mean when Orochimaru was comfortable? Was it even a _good _thing?

"I understand. The reason I came is to warn you, Hokage-sama. Several other messengers mysteriously disappeared on the way here, after all; I imagine I am the first. In short, Iwa is making a move, and it is a bold one," Orochimaru recited, and he licked his lips with his revoltingly long tongue. "It should not have to be said, but they are after _you_."

Naruto glanced at Genma, who had tensed at the mention of a threat to the Hokage. He had barely recognized the young man at first, but his chakra signature was unmistakably familiar. He imagined the other two members of the Hokage Guard Platoon were also guarding the hospital. "It is expected from Iwa. They have not taken a liking to me." Naruto said, and he half-grimaced. "How much time do we have?"

"Slim to none," Orochimaru showed his teeth for the briefest of moments in a facsimile of a snarl. "I might have made better time than they did, given my summon's speed, but they might be here already. They could very well be biding their time. Several runners were intercepted, so it is difficult to determine their position."

"That means we're dealing with an elite or two," Naruto deduced. "To take down Chuunin with ease would suggest as much." He turned towards the door. "Genma," he said quickly, and the guard snapped to attention. "The Third is on his the way here from the Hokage Tower. Warn him of possible intruders to the village, and guard him. Send Magpie to call a squad of ANBU, to strengthen the northern wall's platoon. Please defer to the Third until you receive further orders."

"Hokage-sama...!"

Naruto nodded. "I know your sworn duties, but your presence here is not going to change anything right now." He gestured vaguely at his companions. "I have two of the Sannin at my side, that should suffice."

The young Special Jounin gave a quick nod, then dashed away.

"I'm curious, why the northern wall specifically?" Jiraiya asked calmly.

"That side of the village was most damaged from the Kyuubi's attack," Naruto said. "The guards have the hardest time plugging all the holes in our defenses in that location. If any other places need more manpower though, we'll be in trouble. We're running a bit low..." He turned back to Orochimaru, who had watched the whole exchange curiously. "Is there any more that you can tell me about the attacking force?"

Orochimaru nodded. "Of course. There was a destroyed Konoha outpost to the northwest of the village... It was very close to a personal research facility that I am constructing in the area. The enemy was very thorough in their assault, and by the time I came to inspect the interruption, they had already passed." Orochimaru licked the side of his lips, as if savouring the scene he had found, but Naruto was unsure if he was just reading that into the gesture, given what he knew about the Sannin.

"When I arrived, there remained only marks of fire jutsu usage, and nothing else. Had I not stumbled upon the empty grounds of the outpost I knew to be there, it would have been a day until someone might have found out the attack even took place, since there were no planned changes of watch in that time. The attack itself must have come from underground, but it might have been designed to look that way, since it is a well-known staple of Iwa tactics."

"How can we be sure it's them, then?" Naruto glanced at Jiraiya. "Iwa is unfortunately not the sole nation we are less than cordial with, ever since the war."

Jiraiya sighed. "True enough, but Iwa's still our best bet, given our shared history, and in particular their enmity with regards to you personally. If they manage to leave no direct trace of their passage, no one will be able to blame them, though everyone will suspect their involvement regardless."

"A treaty is unbroken if there are no witnesses," Orochimaru observed. "There are many who would benefit from your death. Indeed, given your long recuperation period, many believe you are permanently disfigured or severely injured, which is an obvious overestimation." He nodded. "The attackers likely believe the rumours of your weakened state, and intend to make use of it."

"Heh, they're gonna be in for a surprise," Jiraiya said, smiling. "Minato managed to seal the _Kyuubi, _and with the two of us watching over Konoha as well, we're going to swat these Iwa nin like flies!"

Orochimaru nodded, somewhat reluctant in his acknowledgement of Jiraiya's strength. "They will either strike soon, while they can still manage a modicum of surprise, or retreat without ever trying when they notice their quarry is in fighting shape." He narrowed his eyes. "You _are _in fighting shape, are you not, Hokage-sama?"

"Just about..." Naruto winced slightly. "Not up to any army-killing, suffice to say, but I trust that won't be necessary. I assume the enemy is going for a sneak attack, a precision strike, not an open confrontation. Proper assassination attempts are never that blatant."

"At least this gives me reason to finally kick my student out of the Hospital." Jiraiya said with a small smile. "He's been cooped up here for too long already, meditating the day away. It's about time he worked his muscles a little, now that he can manage that again."

Orochimaru's snake-like eyes narrowed slightly. "So, the rumours of your wounds were not entirely exaggerated, then. Were there any side effects of the confrontation with the Bijuu, then, that you would require a long stay? You seem... reasonably intact."

"I was doused with demonic chakra," Naruto said, moving his hand to one of the bandages to his face, avoiding pointing out the rather awful damage to his chest, as it was largely obscured. "You are, of course, familiar with Gold and Silver brothers?" He lifted one of the binds covering his whisker marks. "Due to the corrosive effects of the Kyuubi's chakra on my body, it also took some time to regain control of my own. Otherwise, there hasn't been anything that should get in the way of my performance in the long term."

Jiraiya slapped a hand on Naruto's shoulder, smiling thinly. "Don't worry, I ran all the tests I could think of, and he's in decent shape," Jiraiya piped up. "If you'd want to talk about it over a bowl of sake, later."

Orochimaru's lips twitched in something that might have been a genuine half-smile and he inclined his head. "After everything is over, I might want to look into the effects of this chakra. It seems like a viable subject for study, given the rarity of such events."

Naruto lowered the bandages again; they didn't fit as well as before and tickled his cheek, but he didn't care about that; the impending problem was much more important. From what he knew of Iwa, there was high potential for collateral damage whenever they got involved, since they tended to rip up the earth and everything on it. It was the kind of destruction that an already damaged village couldn't afford. He would have to give them a clear target in as open space as he could.

He glanced to his side, to his father's cloak hanging on the wall, a stark reminder of just what step he had just chosen to take. He was fairly sure that Orochimaru had not even considered that he might be a fake. Channeling the part of his father that stuck around into his voice worked wonders, even if he was not quite sure how he was doing it. Now, it was time for the next step. There was no going back. _Might as well dive in headfirst. _

Naruto took a quick step forward, feeling the limits of the half-healed body, and thankfully it was much better than the day before. Sage Mode had worked wonders on his chakra levels, but he was still injured, and without the constant influx of natural energy to support his every step he felt a little weak. Unfortunately, Minato had not known the arts of Senjutsu, and it was best to keep away from abusing it. At least, until he would have a chance to claim to have 'learned' it in this new persona.

_This will have to be enough. _Naruto allowed himself a pleased smile as he donned the white cloak over his bandaged body, flaring it out and luxuriating in the feeling of strange familiarity that followed, a certain sense of nostalgia, even when that was impossible. It fit him in just in the right way, and he turned to the special three-pronged kunai on the wall next. Only then did he remember that it was trapped.

He could not make a mistake, and asking Jiraiya about it would have betrayed that something was wrong, since there was no reason to keep a trapped kunai around a fallen Hokage. He had sensed the seal while under meditative trance, and the chakra was unmistakably Jiraiya's; it was also rather complex. Still, knowing Jiraiya, he just had to figure out from which side to approach it.

Jiraiya caught up on Naruto's predicament and twitched his index finger, and Naruto caught the movement in the reflection on the kunai's blade. It was the best hint Naruto could hope for; he snatched the pronged kunai in quick movement, pushing at the chakra flow of the seal with a pulse of his own, hoping that he interpreted the hint correctly. The invisible seal hissed quietly, but nothing else happened. Naruto forced himself not to sigh in relief, but he wanted to.

He twirled the kunai between his fingers in a deft gesture as he turned to the two Sannin, then slipped it into a small slit in the cloak. Both Jiraiya and Orochimaru were watching him move, doubtlessly deducing all sorts of information from that tiny gesture. "Shall we?" Naruto asked pleasantly, pulling the cloak more firmly against himself, so it would conceal the exact extent of his bandages. Everyone knew that he was injured, but displaying the exact way his stomach was bandaged up would be foolish, especially in front of Orochimaru.

"Right behind you, Hokage-sama," Jiraiya said, and he winked slyly.

* * *

Shimura Danzou grumbled curses under his breath, glancing to his side with irritation. Between the destruction of the village by the invading Kyuubi and the myriad of threats that were looming from outside the village, his time was precious. And yet here he was, strolling along with Hiruzen, who seemed less than inclined to hurry things along, often leaving long silences.

On top of that, the blasted man was being very evasive, avoiding questions and speaking very vaguely about what had him so contemplative. Danzou had established that Hiruzen wished to make a personal visit to the Hokage, who remained a shut-in behind the closed doors of the hospital, which was worrying. Still, Danzou knew that Hiruzen could have easily retaken his seat, and yet had let that opportunity pass him by. There had to be more at play.

He managed to relaxed only when, after a long, tiring walk with his former teammate, they _finally _started making their way towards the Konoha Hospital. Hiruzen looked rather morose, in truth, though it was probably due to the destruction that could still be seen all around them, remnants of the Kyuubi's attack that would take weeks to clean up. The addition of a sick or dying Hokage would certainly weigh on him as well.

There was a certain sense of foreboding in the air as they ascended the long path to the hospital, and several guards spotted their approach, though they clearly recognized the two arrivals. Two, in fact, were members of Root, though neither had been called into active duty, since Root itself was as much in shambles as the village was.

Shiranui Genma, a member of the Hokage's Guard Platoon, came to a stop from his _shunshin, _stopping right in front of him and Hiruzen with a quick salute. "Sandaime-sama, Danzou-san." He nodded in recognition. "I was sent to find you. Hokage-sama received intelligence on an imminent Iwa attack on his person."

Danzou watched Sarutobi's frown curiously.

"Why did you leave your post?" Sarutobi asked sharply. "The _Hokage _is not fit to -"

"Direct orders of the Hokage, sir," Genma noted calmly. "Until such a time as he renounces the position, I follow his orders before any others. Though, I have been told to defer to your instructions for further assignments."

There was a shadow that ran deep in the Third's eyes. "And who is protecting _Minato _at present?" There was something odd about the way he said that name, almost as if he were angry at the man. Danzou narrowed his eyes, considering his old teammate's thoughts.

"Jiraiya-sama and Orochimaru-sama arrived at the hospital room a short while ago, and the latter was the one to bring this intelligence to Hokage-sama's attention," Genma said swiftly. "He sent me for you as soon as he heard, since the danger is quite imminent."

Hiruzen cursed silently, only the movement of lips betraying his irritation. Danzou considered what Genma had revealed; he had heard nothing as of yet about any impending assault, but his forces beyond the walls were scattered due to the Kyuubi's attack, so that was little surprise. Still, it could hardly be an actual fighting force of any size, or it would have long been sensed by the Sensor Ninja squad. A small task force, then. An attempt on the Hokage's life in a moment of weakness.

His thoughts turned to the other half of the message, and its implications. Orochimaru had long answered to him, yet had gone directly to the Hokage with this information. Either the danger was so close that the man could spare no minute wasted, or there was some other purpose beneath the obvious one, as Orochimaru was wont to have.

Outwardly, of course, Danzou seemed entirely disinterested.

"If Iwa is sending a force our way, we will need to enforce the northern watch," Sarutobi said swiftly. "It's currently the weakest link in our defences."

"A squad of ANBU are already underway there, by the Hokage's orders," Genma said.

Danzou offered a small smile. "Minato was always quick on the draw; it seems he has this matter in hand. We should join him at the hospital. If his state allows for it, I'd suggest moving him out of there, just in case." _Your move, Hiruzen_.

"I doubt he will want our interference, but it might be best to hurry to him," Sarutobi replied and motioned the closest ANBU, standing ready on a nearby rooftop. The masked man was by his side in seconds. "Warn the ANBU forces to be on alert, since we may be facing an impending attack. Watch the ground closely, since we might be dealing with users of earth techniques as well."

The ANBU operative bowed, glancing momentarily to Danzou, before he flashed away again. _One of mine, eh?_

"If your successor is awake enough to give orders, I imagine he is on the mend?" Danzou asked as he continued to walk towards the hospital, though at a decidedly faster clip. He was quickly flanked by the Third and Genma. "I was under the impression that he was in much worse condition. I am glad to see I was mistaken."

"He is recovering as expected," Sarutobi said ambiguously, before turning to Genma. "I recall that Raidou was posted with you?"

Genma nodded. "When Jiraiya moved us into the hospital to relieve the ANBU guards, Raidou-san was posted to guard the children, along with Magpie," he replied. "As far as I know, that has not changed."

"The children. Of course," Sarutobi murmured, nodding, and Danzou frowned. _The children? Why would they be relevant...?_ He did not have long to draw a conclusion as they were swiftly approaching the hospital; even with the small chance that intruders were already inside of the village bounds, it would not do to warn them too soon, so they kept their speed moderate. The ANBU on the roof looked watchful, but everything seemed to be calm.

The main entrance of the Hospital opened at that moment, and three figures casually strolled out into the darkness of the moon-lit evening, as if such a thing happened every evening.

First to leave the building was Jiraiya, his white hair tousled by the light wind as he half-turned to those behind him. He was laughing, apparently at some joke neither of his companions found particularly funny, even if both had small, polite smiles. Flanking him on his left was the lean figure of Orochimaru, his clothes tied with a thick rope, and his long black hair highlighted by his pale skin. Out of the three, Orochimaru looked the most bored, and even somewhat annoyed.

On Jiraiya's right, with his billowing cloak and messy mop of blond hair, there was Minato, though a decidedly ill-looking one with somewhat pallid skin that was mostly bandaged up. He walked without any overt signs of being in serious pain, though he seemed to favour his right side, and one hand kept twitching to his stomach. No discomfort was visible on his face, however, so it could not be debilitating.

"...I _want _you to be seen, as a matter of fact," the Fourth Hokage replied to a question Jiraiya must have just asked him. "The enemy should be aware that you're present, unless they were really sloppy in their preparation. Even if they were, they should at least have calculated it as a possibility."

"You wish to draw the enemy out, then?" Orochimaru asked.

"No, that would just be trouble, with the village as it is." Minato shook his head and sighed softly. "Getting into a fight with Iwa would be fine at some other point in time, but right now I want them to retreat, and head home. Failing that, I want them to make a mistake, and _then _retreat. Telling Iwa off for trying to assassinate me would be much less of a hassle if I can do it without leaving a pile of dead bodies in my wake, again."

"I would think that a dead assassin would be a clear signal," Sarutobi interjected into their conversation with only as much as a short inclination of his head instead of a full greeting. "Wouldn't it be more beneficial to confront these enemy shinobi as they try to approach you, and to show Iwa that Konoha remains strong?"

"I can do that without too much bloodshed," Minato said easily. "The way Orochimaru described the fate of one of our outposts, it would be hard to minimize damage to Konoha, regardless of how easy these foes might be to defeat. They would definitely pose a threat to civilians and our infrastructure. I'd prefer that a confrontation to occur outside the city walls, and as far from the Hospital as we can manage. Or not at all, if possible."

Danzou was not surprised by the reasoning Minato offered, since he was already guessing among the very same lines. With his Root forces so spread out, avoiding a straight-up confrontation was advisable. Especially if such a destructive meeting would take place inside the village proper, which had seen enough ruin.

"Hokage-sama," Danzou said politely, drawing Minato's attention to him. The man seemed momentarily uncertain, before his eyes went hard and suspicious, just as they had always been when the two had met. "It seems that talk about your injuries has been exaggerated, thankfully," he continued openly.

Minato smiled lightly. "Just a bit," he whispered conspiratorially, and then was all-business again, looking towards Jiraiya. "Sensei, shouldn't you be doing something? I recall telling you -"

"I'm moving, I'm moving," the Toad Sage said in annoyance, and he winked at Sarutobi in passing. "Don't stress yourself too much," were his last words before he used the _shunshin no jutsu_ to dash away.

"He will patrol the walls," Minato said in explanation. "I trust that he is capable of holding off the enemy, if necessary." He nodded to himself. "Shimura-san," Minato said, looking directly at Danzou. "I am sorry that our meeting is getting delayed, but I'm sure we can put it off without any bad thoughts. I was looking forward to it, after a fashion."

"It is not a problem," Danzou hurried to assure, wondering why Minato had chosen to call it a meeting. Might have all the elusiveness have been on Minato's orders? Had he been awake for that long, then? "I'm sure this _crisis _will solve itself quite soon," he added carefully.

From up close, Danzou noticed, there was a something different about Minato. Not anything significant that would have raised suspicion, but a subtle something that did not quite fit. When a light from a nearby lantern touched the half-bandaged cheek of the Hokage, he realized what it was; a small marking there, similar to a scar, all too reminiscent of stories he had read about contact with the Kyuubi's chakra.

That's what the different feeling had to be, Danzou realized. Up close, it was as if the man before him had been submerged and dragged out of demonic energy repeatedly; likely that was what had actually happened in their fight. It was a wonder that the Hokage was even standing. Was this why Minato was reluctant to let anyone in contact with him? Was the creature's chakra as corrosive now as it was when it attacked?

"There is another thing. I may have a need for your expertise," Minato said shortly, which shook Danzou out of his thoughts. "These Iwa nin might try to sneak in underground, and I'd like you to help with organising the effort to kick them out into the open, so they can be drawn away from the village itself."

If Danzou had been anyone else, such a proposition from the Hokage would have been somewhat unusual, but he knew that Minato at least had an inkling as to what secrets were buried underneath the ground level of Konoha. Unlike Hiruzen, who seemed to prefer keeping a blind eye to those dealings, Minato was well aware, and mostly tolerated those matters as a necessity.

The offer might have been a reminder, or a gesture of faith, but it should have been obvious to both parties that Root would never allow any intruder onto their training grounds. By offering at least a partial control over the teams that would be sent to those places, Minato was purposefully giving him room for maneuvering, perhaps even permission to command those secret forces.

Danzou could hardly say no to such an offer, and the Hokage had to have known that. Honestly, he liked that, preferring it to Hiruzen's complete denial of the shadows beneath the village. "I'll see to it," he answered simply.

"Thank you." Minato turned back to Orochimaru, who had remained conspicuously silent during the entire conversation. "I would like it if you checked up on the approaches to the hospital. I'm sure that you could think of a dozen ways Iwa could use for such a purpose, and snake summons can feel the vibrations in the ground, if it comes to that."

Orochimaru nodded swiftly, then paused. "If I might ask, Hokage-sama, where will you go, knowing that you are their target? It would be unwise to leave you nearly unprotected while you are injured."

"Oh, don't worry, I can take a few Iwa nin," Minato said with a self-assurance that didn't leave much in the way of doubt. "For now, I need to talk over a few things with Sarutobi-sama, and I don't plan on seeking these assassins out without a proper contingent of bodyguards in any case." He inclined his head towards Genma, and smiled.

"I understand," Orochimaru said, though he did not seem convinced. "I will return when my inspection is complete."

The group dispersed, each with their own destination, leaving both the former and the current Hokage for their private council.

* * *

Naruto remained calmly at the Third's side, as they followed a long and empty street towards the northern side of the village, shadowed at some distance by several bodyguards. Included was Genma, who had been one of his father's most trusted protectors. He knew that, vaguely, since Tsunade had told him at some point, and they had even met in the future. He also knew it more immediately, by the feeling he got when standing near to him. A certain air of recognition, of implicit trust. He had no doubt that it was his father's feeling that was transferred to him.

Unlike Naruto, who was positively relaxed now that he had hoodwinked both Orochimaru and Danzou in the span of half an hour, Hiruzen Sarutobi was less than enthused. "What are you thinking, wearing that cloak, _and _that face?" he hissed just as Naruto smiled.

"Well, blame Jiraiya," Naruto pointed out dryly. "I'm of a similar mind as you, I think. Still, Orochimaru's arrival put me on the spot, and with all the prodding and pestering, I just went for it. My dad wouldn't mind, anyway."

"Jiraiya's idea?" Sarutobi said, sighing. "I should have expected, he always has these brilliantly stupid plans. What is he playing at this time?" He shook his head, frowning. "You are aware that this isn't something you can just go back on, correct? You opened a box that can't be closed. It won't end well for you."

Naruto shrugged. "I know. Still, if you want to call me an intruder in front of the people around here, good luck to you. I'm pretty sure my Henge is as solid as they come, and I've got _his _chakra in my system. Two of the Sannin accepted my authority minutes before, too." He smiled at the Third's frown. "You'll have to deal with my presence like this, at least until Jiraiya comes around and presents a perfectly reasoned argument that will convince you. Myself, I got nothing. I know I'm a fraud."

Sarutobi glared. "A fake Hokage... What has Konoha come to?"

"Hey, I was gonna be a real one in a few weeks," Naruto objected, but he gulped at the Third's expression. With his chakra back under his control, he was reasonably sure that he could handle a handful of Iwa nin, but he had no chance in hell at escaping a younger Third, the 'God of Shinobi'.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry it turned out this way," Naruto offered. This man was not a grandfather he had spent his childhood with, and he was forgetting just what he could and couldn't joke about. "I figured that for this situation, painting a target on my head is ideal. If I fail, Iwa gets me, and you're back to the square one, able to take the place you already let slip by, and things'll probably be okay. If I succeed, well, we still can return to the way things were, I guess."

Sarutobi did not look convinced in the slightest.

"The only ones that have seen me outside, besides the obvious people, are just some ANBU that can keep quiet on orders," Naruto said. "Until the morning comes, at least, the Fourth being active again will just be another rumour among the other outrageous ones. Do you think I picked this road for the fun of it? It's abandoned. Until tomorrow, this'll be a story just like '_The Hokage beat the Kyuubi in a straight fight!' _or '_The Hokage's totally skinless now!_'. I mean, do you honestly believe that anyone would buy that two Hokages went out for a stroll in the moonlight?"

The Third continued to glare, even if Naruto could see a fight being fought against the twitch of his lips. Then again, people could smile and still be furious inside. Sakura came to mind immediately, and he shuddered.

"You are looking at this rather narrowly," the Third said. "There is more at stake than rumours. Anyone who sees you today will conclude that 'Minato' is going to return to his post of Hokage." He paused. "I must ask... Why did you send everyone else away? If it is solely to taunt me, I think you'll find yourself disappointed."

"Nah, I didn't want to do that," Naruto protested. "Look, _ojii_-." He bit his lip, reminding himself that this version of the Third was not the old man he grew up with. "Sarutobi-sama," he began anew. "I have told you this before, obviously, but I am Naruto from the future, and you are the closest thing to a grandfather I have ever had. I don't want to antagonize you with this whole playing-my-dad thing. I wouldn't have considered this approach if I wasn't convinced that I can fix a few of the things I mucked up with my arrival."

Sarutobi gave him a _look_. It might have meant 'explain' or 'shut up', but Naruto gambled on the former.

"You and I both know that the rumours have grown too much, and not just within Konoha. There's movement under all this, and Iwa sending assassins might be just the beginning. I didn't have much proof before, because there is not much that you could verify, but I promise that I do know the future of Konoha." Naruto paused. "There are difficult times ahead, old man. Not this year, and not even very soon, but things are being set in motion that will lead to the Fourth Shinobi World War, and other disasters. My arrival by itself has already changed some things, and not necessarily for the better. Just understand this: the Kyuubi's attack wasn't an accident, but a move in a game that goes far above our heads. I can't play it as well as Jiraiya can, nor can I analyze the implications as well as you, but I know what a lot of the moves are going to be. And if there's one place from which I could change it all with that knowledge, it'd have to be from the Hokage's seat."

Sarutobi sniffed. "There is more to being a Hokage than wearing a hat, boy."

"Yeah, I'm well aware of that. I was to be the Sixth Hokage when I left my own time, so I've known for a long time," Naruto said carefully. "I care about few things in my life, since I grew up with little in the way of friends or loyalty to anything. But Konoha is one of the things I love, because it's the village where I grew up, because the people here are the ones I grew to like." He paused, looking upwards. "My friends might be barely more than newborns now, but that doesn't mean that I can't fight for them, the same as they would do for me. As they _will _do for me, if I can help it."

Sarutobi offered a short and very small smile.

"You know," Naruto suddenly grinned warmly at the old man. "I think I have the proof you wanted to hear."

Sarutobi blinked. "You do?"

"Sure. It's about the first time you met my father," Naruto said, and the man's eyes grew wider. "You never told anyone, I'm sure, and he would hardly spread it around outside his family. You accused him of of being crazy, crazy enough to sacrifice his life first and only then think about what he had just done."

Sarutobi slowly inhaled. "How did you come to know about _that_?"

"It's... complicated. Let's leave it at that." He scratched the back of his head nervously.

The Third closed his eyes for a short moment, reminiscing. "Yes, I remember our first meeting. Minato was a foolish, young boy at the time."

"I was a foolish, young boy, too. Some would argue I still am," Naruto pointed out. "Still, you were my first teacher, even if it never was anything official, and you never taught me wrong. I, like my father before me, am prepared to risk everything just to see the Will of Fire carry on, so you must have done _something _right. Given us an example to learn from, perhaps. Someone to admire, and a reason to always reach for the position of Hokage."

"That's good to hear," Sarutobi said after a longer pause, though this one was decidedly more comfortable than all others. "By the way, you are aware that if all of this is a scheme on your part, I'll kill you myself, and it won't be quick." The words ran as cool as night's air, but Naruto didn't feel it was half a threat it could have been.

"If I ever intentionally harm Konoha, I'll let you do it," Naruto replied dryly. "Speaking of Konoha," he added in a less focused tone, his attention diverted. "I keep getting interrupted today... Jiraiya just found someone sneaking in towards the northeast. He used the kunai my clone lifted from the Hokage Residence. I'd almost forgotten about that one..." He frowned. "The enemy's a lot closer than I'd have liked... Well, seems like there's work to do."

Sarutobi grimaced and managed a half-turn towards the side where he imagined Jiraiya should have been. A few things happened that prohibited him from formulating a proper response. First, there was a bright flash from the direction that Naruto had mentioned, followed by a rumble of explosion, and then the wounded nin disappeared from the spot he was standing in without as much as a whisper.

The quick use of Hiraishin was almost a reflexive reaction this time, as Naruto flung himself across the span between places. Not overpowering the jutsu with chakra was a measured decision on his part, and in an instant he was right next to Jiraiya, a three-pronged kunai in his hand; it had to have been deflected by the enemy, or perhaps had just recently been thrown, since it was still mid air, as was he. Naruto took a quick survey of the situation in the split second before he landed.

Jiraiya looked a little singed by the explosion that had happened just a moment before, and he was facing a pair of enemy nin. Both of them jumped back because of his sudden appearance, and as he touched down with both his own kunai and Jiraiya's in his hands, he considered them each in turn. One of them was a young kunoichi that reminded him a lot of Kurotsuchi, but it couldn't have been her, so many years ago. Perhaps her mother, then. The other shinobi was some large man he did not recognise, though his head-protector, in this case wrapped around the upper portion of the arm, said enough. Iwa. Of course, there could be more around, hidden underfoot.

The former jinchuuriki grinned viciously, finding his expression mirrored by the Kurotsuchi-lookalike. With all the bandages covering the lower half of his face, he had to look even more intimidating than he usually did when he went into battle, though he had to give credit to Zabuza as his inspiration.

"The Yellow Flash," the woman said carefully, drawing a sleek sword. "You seem... under the weather. No matter, I will enjoy slicing you open."

"Try it," Naruto murmured. Jiraiya glanced at him worriedly, but he just returned a wide grin, twirling the three-pronged kunai in his hands. "You always get into trouble, sensei... What would you do without me?"

* * *

**A/N:**

Well, this chapter took only 2.633... times longer than my previous estimate of a full month. I make no promises for the time of the next chapter, but I will write it out as soon as I find time for it. Should be shorter than this gap, though.


	8. To Kill a God

**Steal My Thunder God**

**Chapter VII - ****To Kill a God**

* * *

The shiver down Naruto's back was involuntary, and his hand flashed out with his father's kunai clasped tightly in its grasp. The steel crossed the path of a far larger blade that tore through the air with a whistle, smashing down with force. The two blades met very briefly, and the sound of metal screeching in protest drowned out the drum-like beats of his heart. He pushed the enemy away with an almighty push, allowing himself a moment to catch his breath, to settle.

_I think I've almost missed this..._

The _Hiraishin _was instantaneous, granted, but it was also disorienting to the user, especially to Naruto, who had never used it in battle before. He knew that only his reflexes could truly save him in the split second after he flung himself from place to place, confused as he momentarily was about his place and direction in space. His instincts were well-honed, but they would need training - in some things, his father still far surpassed him. He could not afford to let this fight depend purely on his speed.

"You okay there, kid?" Jiraiya called from somewhere in the distance, likely detecting the slight stumble in Naruto's step, but the boy barely heard it, nor acknowledged it, as he forced a confident, calm expression to appear on his face, though he hardly felt calm. Lying about how he really felt was hardly new to him, and he would not allow his act to slip so quickly, now that he'd taken the plunge. He steeled his nerves, and pressed on.

"You are - foolhardy," he said as he observed the kunoichi in front of him, looking surprisingly fearless before the spectre that the Fourth was to the nation of Iwa. "There are few ways this can end, none of them well. You know that."

The kunoichi sniffed, her eyes narrowed in contempt. Naruto tensed as the enemy kunoichi did the same, her knuckles white around the hilt of her sword. She seethed with rage, her expression betraying a kind of hate that Naruto only remembered from few others - Sasuke among them. It was the same hateful glare that he had seen in the Valley of the End, when he had fought with his ally-turned-enemy with all he had. Was she an avenger then, like him? Out for vengeance - on him? On the identity he had adopted as his own, however troubling that notion was?

"Out of those ways, I choose the one in which you die," the kunoichi snarled, her blade spinning quickly in her hands, the metal gleaming with a curiously wet sheen. _Poison? _She was quick - quicker than Naruto was with a blade, certainly - and the toxins would no longer be purged by Kurama, which meant he could not afford to be hit. On top of his already tenuous constitution, it could leave him a husk - or truly dead.

In a way, Naruto was glad to test himself against an opponent that proved deadly - it had been a couple of years since his life was truly in danger, and a part of him was missing that kind of excitement...

Without even the slightest warning, her sword cleaved upwards from a strange angle, thrust at Naruto's unprotected throat with a swift movement that would have cleaved through lesser shinobi. He leaned back almost lazily as the sword fell short. Even if he could not match her blade for blade, he could certainly see her coming. No matter his weakness, he was hardly going to fall to anything less than an S-Rank - and he had a lot of experience in beating those shinobi, too.

"I'm sure there is a good reason for your actions, but it is best for you to give up and try another time," he said calmly, though he realized that the words were pointless even as he said them, as her lips twitched in rage, her eyes almost spitting fire. He raised his kunai before him to ward off another sudden assault. "You cannot defeat me this day."

"The Yellow Flash is on the defensive, is he?" The kunoichi observed as she cackled slightly. "So, the stories of your wounds are true - the greatest shinobi that Konoha has produced is reduced to talking his way out of a fight_. _Such an - _embarrassment_." She whipped her sword forward again, and Naruto stepped aside as it slid past. "You avoid the blow - but you cannot retaliate without getting cut, can you? These bandages are not only on your face, are they? Must be such a bother, with them restricting your every move. How are you going to use your lauded speed now, your greatest weapon?"

"You believe that my greatest weapon is _speed_?" Naruto asked strangely and he glanced behind her, to the walls of Konoha. "You're mistaken. Speed has never been my greatest weapon. Nor the Rasengan, for that matter, or the might of the Toads." He smiled knowingly. "You were foolish to fight me here, at the true source of my strength, for the tree has many leaves."

_Did I just - quote my dad? _Naruto asked himself in slight confusion, wondering why he recognized the words but not the occasion. He could not even recall them from his dreams, the incoherent visions from another life. Still, wherever the thought had come from, that didn't really matter. Just that it did. He smiled slightly in appreciation as he took in his fuming opponent. _Your words do work wonders, dad._

"I am the Hokage of Konoha, assassin," Naruto said with more confidence than he thought he had - and after all, wasn't it _true_? "Just as I protect the inhabitants of my village, they protect me in turn." Now, that - that he meant. "I may be hurt, as is my village, but unless you bring us all to ruin at once, you have failed. If you kill me here, then Konoha will bring you down, and another Hokage will rise. There would be another protector of the village who will carry on the legacy. You cannot win."

"You speak with such confidence, but you betray your weakness," the kunoichi started, but any more words were lost in a sudden clash of blades as twin kunai faced off against a single sharp-edged sword. Two, three times they met with thundering hits that were punctuated by distant explosions. Each time the hits came a little closer to a direct hit, and with poison in play they could very well be the last hit as well. Still, Naruto's counterstrikes intercepted each blow, and he persevered.

_I don't need to kill you, after all. I just need to outlast you. And I've got a whole lot of stamina._

Naruto had to admit that getting into a fight really wasn't one of his the brightest ideas, not while he was still recovering from losing Kurama. The enemy seemed overly eager to fight, which was _unexpected _for an Iwa shinobi, especially for an assassin. The living, breathing, fighting Fourth Hokage should have sent these nin scurrying off as fast as they could handle. Nobody would face an S-Rank shinobi without knowing they could win, and they would certainly not provoke a fight in range of the ANBU defense forces of an entire village. It was stupid - and in his experience, you didn't live long when you made such mistakes.

If that logic held true, and he believed it did, then why were these shinobi still here, still fighting? What was the _point_?

The enemy neatly evaded Naruto's counter to her latest direct assault, and swung her blade in a complex movement, which was fast enough that Naruto lost track of it entirely. Still, when she came in for the kill, there was a three-pronged kunai in the way. Naruto stared at his hand with some surprise, since he had never practiced that movement, nor had he seen the enemy attack coming in time - and yet he'd stopped it out of sheer instinct. Again, his body had moved on its own - echoes from his father's fighting style showing through even when he didn't mean to do so. _I've got to get a handle on this, and soon..._

"So slow - so weak, and yet you persist. But, you fight without spirit," the kunoichi said slowly, her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Why do you draw this out, _Hokage_? Surely I have not stretched you to your abilities?"

Naruto shrugged. "There's no point. Konoha's ANBU will be here in a couple of seconds, and you're just going to get yourself killed by staying." He offered it in a fairly pleasant tone, hoping that she would not realize just how screwed he'd be if she _really _pressed her advantage right then. He'd have to rely on Senjutsu if it got too dangerous, and he could not afford to show such prowess to anyone who might be watching, as his father had never learned that skill.

"Coward." The kunoichi spat on the ground viciously, which would have been hardly notable, if not for the fact that the spit was pure lava, melting through a good chunk of the pavement. "Face me with your all - or shut up and die!" she screamed with unconcealed loathing, her sword gleaming with chakra. "I'll kill you in half the time it takes those fools to reach us!"

Her sword flashed with light, and a stray reflection flashed into Naruto's eyes - it had to have been on purpose - right before her blade swept into a short arch towards his left side, which he had momentarily kept wide open.

Naruto parried instinctively with a kunai, letting his reflexes do their work, blocking strikes before he had consciously expected them; training for years with hundreds of shadow-clones paid off. Even without properly seeing the blade, he circumvented its path and stepped closer to her, far more capable of using the close distance with his kunai than she with her large and bulky sword.

However, she had a backup plan for his close range - a rather unexpected spit of searing hot lava poured from her lips, an improvised stream almost catching Naruto in the face, but for a quick dodge to the side. _She's more dangerous than she looks_...

Kurotsuchi's mother - she had to be with that temper and her display of the Youton element - pressed forward in response to Naruto's sidestep, joining him in closer combat again. She flung herself along each and every strike, destroying Naruto's hope for an advantage up close. She pressed her left palm at the blunt edge of the blade and pushed in even closer, before suddenly stabbing upwards with a force that otherwise would have been impossible, diverting the two three-pronged kunai with ease.

The one in his left hand slipped, and spun high up into the air, his opponent moving in to make use of the short opportunity before he could even blink. Naruto had to give her credit for the attempt; with his injuries it seemed that she actually had a chance of scoring a glancing hit, and that could be enough to settle matters. Still, she wasn't as good as she believed she was, and that overconfidence would cost her.

His hand was in the way almost instantly, chakra bursting alight in his palm even as the steel approached - and then it was wrenched aside, whirling away even as its wielder struggled to keep up with it. _Rasengan! _

A huge explosion smashed a nearby building and showered Naruto with rocks and other debri, which told him enough about the other fight, the one he had barely considered. Jiraiya was clearly on the defensive at the moment, which was pretty impressive considering the kind of power he could sling around if he wanted to - even something like fifteen years in the past. His opponent was attacking with determination and without a care about his own safety, slinging out explosion after explosion without a care. It had to mean that the man had control of the Bakuton release, which was tough to counter by any shinobi - but this was Jiraiya. Naruto was hardly worried.

The distraction of the explosion was a perfect opportunity for him, and Naruto snatched up his kunai before it reached the ground, effortlessly slipping back into a defensive posture, as if it had all been a calculated maneuver to wreck her sword.

"Well, sensei, do you need any help with that one?" Naruto yelled cheekily, adjusting his grip on his twin kunai, and it earned him another rage-filled cry from his own opponent. "This one's pretty lacklustre, truth be told."

"Shut up, _kid_," Jiraiya bellowed back, narrowly avoiding an explosion that singed his back as he jumped away. "I'm not seeing you do any better against your own!"

Naruto laughed softly at the Sannin's affronted expression, pushing his opponent to the very limits of frustration as she returned to the fight, her sword a little warped by the impact of his Rasengan. She swung the twisted blade towards him from above; it was a strangely flawed move; did she make a mistake out of desperation, or was it some kind of feint? No - it was a trick. It had to be.

However much the kunoichi was trying to do him in, though, Naruto honestly didn't really want to kill her in return. Considering who she probably was, it would mean even more strained relations with Iwa, and it could erase Kurotsuchi from time to boot. _No, it couldn't - _wasn't she a year older than he was? Still, Kurotsuchi _was _something of a friend, and he couldn't, in good conscience, simply dispose of her mother.

Instead of counterattacking and placing himself into the hidden trap that she was undoubtedly keeping open for him, Naruto stepped into the strike easily, crossing his two kunai to catch the blade between the prongs. "Give up," he offered once more as steel rang against steel, her sword letting out a painful creek.

"No. It is you who should die." She spat another glob of lava at him with a growl of frustration, far hotter than before and sizzling in the air. Naruto dove downwards, pulling the woman's sword along in his roll. It came dangerously close to his ear, but it missed, and the raging inferno failed to even touch him. Her sword clattered to the ground and Naruto twisted around, throwing it away with force, and it wheeled out of sight.

"Now, _that _was a bad decision," Naruto said calmly, still crouched after his impromptu roll, his stomach protesting even as he could feel blood seep into his bandages. From the corner of his eye, he finally saw ANBU rushing to his aid, drawing their swords even as they spotted him - another reason for a short pause in her assault.

_When this is over, I'm going to lecture you all over the delay until your ears fall off.  
_

"You believe yourself very clever, do you?" the kunoichi asked, drawing a simple kunai to substitute for her lost blade. "You changed your fighting style just to play with me, I take it? You must have known I was coming, then. Your spies must be very - efficient."

"Hmm. I am well-informed," Naruto replied guardedly. "Are you finally giving up, then? This is becoming tiresome, and you will hardly outlast the village." He motioned for the nearest ANBU to snatch the kunoichi's sword from the ground. Just as he went to do so, however, the Iwa kunoichi took a deep breath and released a wave of lava once again, straight upwards. Naruto caught on quickly, realizing that she was trying to catch the two of them in a huge dome of superheated liquid, not so different from Haku and her Ice-mirrors.

"That won't help you," Naruto said as he flung one of his kunai directly at her. She dodged with an elegant display of skill, without even a pause, but she didn't seem to realize that the blade kept going, crossing easily past the edge of her dome. She was good - even while using a technique, she could evade the kunai with ease, and likely would have a way of countering a Hiraishin assault as well - she had been preparing to fight the Yellow Flash one-on-one, as she implied. Her increasing cloud of liquid rock expanded outward, and Naruto slowly raised himself from his crouch, his aching stomach pushed to the side of his thoughts.

Her intention, then, was to fight Minato - wounded or not - and to kill him if possible - which was quite a goal. It was also very troubling, since assassinations were hardly meant to be fights like this, flinging jutsus and kunai around. Cutting his throat in his sleep, that would have been a proper assassination. There was only really one conclusion that he could draw - he was wrong about their purpose here. These two shinobi were not meant to kill him while he was down.

Heat crashed into Naruto like a wave, and sweat and blood made his bandages stick to his body, slowing him ever more. The dome hovered in the air just above them - cutting them from the outside interference, as far as she knew. He could use that. He grinned mischievously as he placed his hands into a very familiar seal.

_I'll find out what your purpose is - one way or another._

Unbidden, a memory asserted itself, an echo of something he had never done.

* * *

Jounin Namikaze Minato napped on a small cart of hay, drawn along by a single mule that was braying in protest against the heat of the late afternoon in mid-August. He wore a casual civilian disguise, consisting of some old work clothes from a farm, littered with splodges of dirt and sweat, as well as a straw hat that he'd found a few dozen miles back, decorating a scarecrow. He had two of his special kunai hidden inside the hay, and a stray seal or two placed discreetly at strategic locations in the vicinity. There was no reason not to be prepared, after all.

Sighing as he realized how much he stank, and how much the sun was burning down on his arms, Minato ushered the mule off to the side of the path. A huge arch of stone crossed over the path, giving him some much-needed shade, and he wondered momentarily how it had gotten here, in the middle of nowhere - a jutsu, perhaps. Not a single tree grew, and if not for the grass and stray bushes, the entire area might well have been a desert. _At least it's not raining..._

Just as he was about to take a brief nap, he paused - someone approached. He glanced up with narrowed eyes, before he allowed himself to slouch, his posture unhealthy and a little oafish, which would fit his disguise. He leaned against the hay, his expression as sleepy as he could manage it.

"Hey,' someone shouted loudly from a little along the path, and as he approached, the huge man seemed to grow ever more, towering above the cart as he came alongside. He nodded appreciatively. "Hmmm. We might need to make use of your cart."

Minato raised himself upwards, yawning, hand travelling to check the reins at the same time as he acted like he was trying to reorient himself. His confusion clearly came across, as the huge man snarled in disgust - or perhaps amusement. The man wore an Iwa headband, and nearby, there stood a few more shinobi, each of them agitated, judging by their expressions. Minato was quickly flanked from the sides by two academy-age boys and a slightly older Kunoichi armed with a sword, carrying a large red-tinted scroll on her back.

A savvy civilian would have instantly recognised this composition as a genin team with their jounin teacher from Iwa, and let them go on their way without comment. However, Minato knew that they only _looked _like that, since he knew exactly who he was facing. The red scroll was indication enough - this was precisely the team he had hoped to run into when he came out here on his little impromptu spying mission.

"You want my cart? You're gonna have to pay for it," Minato said slowly as he looked at the group incredulously. "The ol' girl goes separately, you know?" He gave off a look of a laid back and slightly confused civilian - and they seemed to be buying it so far. He smiled slightly. "You got a good offer, you rich folk? You're from the hidden villages, aren't you?"

"You bumbling fool," the kunoichi declared angrily, staring accusingly at Minato, as if it was his fault that she was tired and bitter. "There's a war going on out here, and you're sleeping in the middle of the damn road! We're trying to keep Konoha at bay for your damned benefit, so you need to let us take that cart. The Land of Stone needs it _now_."

Minato swung his legs over the side of the cart, and landed lightly into the dust of the road. He shook one, as if having cramps. "Well, if you put it like tha' - I guess you can have it. Not like it's worth much, and the mule's gone deaf so it probably won't respond much unless you poke 'er some."

"Kurome," the largest man chided the woman lightly. "He's not an enemy shinobi, you don't have to be so belligerent. In fact -" He suddenly froze as he looked at Minato, doing a double-take as he swallowed. His eyes sparked with recognition, and a sort of fevered enthusiasm. "What do you know... You look _exactly _like this new Jounin in the bingo books." He nodded, drawing out a kunai. "Yes - the spitting image of _Konoha's Yellow Flash_."

Kurome frowned in confusion. "Who?"

Minato sighed. His impressive combat achievements were proving to be a slight disadvantage, exactly as Jiraiya had predicted, due to the latest Bingo books. Iwa was starting to recognize him. Of course, getting recognised only served as an additional benefit for Konoha. Iwa would have to waste resources trying find a single infiltrator in the region, and by the time they would be sure he was not near, he would be in another part of the country entirely. To top it all off, he could always jump back to one of the seals he had left behind. This advantage of the Hiraishin was the main reason he was even chosen to perform this mission.

He stood up straighter, and the two academy-age brats took a step back. Konoha's intelligence had them pegged at Chuunin, so it had to be a false veneer. He spread his arms as the Iwa shinobi hurried to take out their weapons. "So, you got me. Yes, I am Namikaze Minato. Now, we still can settle this peacefully. There's no need to fight. We don't _have _to do this."

"There's no reason to fight?!" The large man spat, sneering. "You killed fifteen Iwa shinobi just last month, and you expect to simply walk away from such a slaughter without repercussions?" He shook his head. "No - you will _pay _for that."

"Look - I'm just suggesting an exchange," Minato cautioned with a small smile. "You give back the scrolls you stole from Konoha, and that'll be it. I'll even let you keep the cart. That's all I need, you know. I know you just need the cart to help a few injured back home - I can grant you that much."

The huge shinobi sneered. "You would use our lack of transportation as a bargaining chip, when we could just as well take it after you're dead? Are you stupid?"

Minato shrugged. "I don't care about you for this mission, just the scrolls you stole. I'll let you get home to your families, and hopefully we won't ever meet on the true battlefield." It wasn't entirely true, but who would reveal such things in times of war? "So, will you take the road I offer you, or do you want to make this regrettably painful?"

Kurome laughed out loud, pointing at Minato with her sword. "Those are brave words for an outmatched and outclassed person. You are one - we are four. Even if you have earned yourself a silly name already, you cannot take us all out. Now, be a good Konoha shinobi and die quickly."

"I'd rather not," Minato said and disappeared.

After a short pause, the Iwa shinobi warily moved into a looser formation to start a search for him, and to check his 'transport' for traps. Just as his kunai were found, Minato caught a moment of opportunity. The large man literally never saw just what hit him, before collapsing on the ground, bleeding. It was not much of a fight after that, in truth - a quick stab, a Rasengan, a couple well-placed kicks.

Minato left for home with his scroll, leaving three corpses behind - the _Hiraishin _served as his transport. The mule-drawn cart trudged onward on its own to the next village, an unconscious messenger lying in the straw.

_A little mercy goes a long way to silence regrets._

* * *

_So that is why... _Naruto frowned, eyes narrowed. "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_" he announced as he summoned forth a handful of clones. Under the heated dome, the squad of clones quickly surrounded his opponent from all sides. She would have likely jumped straight into a close quarters fight, but Naruto spoke up.

"You're Kurome of Iwa," he said, unsure of his own words. "I remember now."

The woman snarled hatefully. "It is so easy to forget those whose lives you ruin, is it?!" she snapped. "I hate you! The careless bastard that has everything handed to him on a golden platter, even the position of Hokage. You have killed more men that you can count, and you never cared about anyone that you have killed. Yet, you remember my _name_? Why? Because I'm one that you decided to let live, just to torture me?"

Naruto hesitated in his reply, sweat running down his back. The heat was getting worse. Was it a plan to slowly cook him alive? She did, in fact, look a lot more comfortable in the environment than he was. "It was war. We do terrible things in war - I have done my fair share." He thought back to his own war, and swallowed thickly as he remembered how many had fallen. "Neither of us are blameless."

"You _slaughtered _my whole team, and left me for dead!" Kurome shouted at him, the heat spiking up with her anger. "Tell me, you smug bastard, did you _know _that I was the daughter of the Tsuchikage the whole time? Did you leave me alive as a personal insult, or did you make a mistake when you stabbed me in the ribs, missing my vital organs?"

Naruto blanched a little as he shook his head. He knew - _remembered_, even - how his father had been dispatching enemy shinobi with ease, but he had never given thought to just how much of a terror it must have been for the enemy, nor just how much blood was staining his father's hands. His father had spared this woman not because of her family, but because she was the only one that had a chance of making it back home alive, after that _fight _was finally over.

"Of course, the Yellow Flash makes no mistakes, does he?" Kurome asked slowly. "_Does he?"_

It was no wonder she wanted his father dead, even at a high cost to herself or the fickle peace. That must have been why her forehead protector was proudly on display, too. Iwa must have plotted to claim the kill, even if Minato would have proven to be a comatose patient in the hospital. He had no doubt that Kurome had personally convinced the Tsuchikage to go along with it, to allow her this moment of revenge.

"There's no need to fight. We don't _have _to do this," Naruto tried, and the words felt weirdly like an echo.

Kurome roared in rage and dashed forward, and at the same time, drops of lava started falling down - searing hot and dangerous, they cut the freedom of movement, while they did nothing to harm their creator. Naruto's clones moved to intercept, evading the flaming rain, pushing the more dangerous drops away with a careful use of wind chakra, though it seemed only to increase the heat. A furious clash in Taijutsu proved that Kurome was annoyingly fast even without her sword - and that Naruto was not going to match her that way either, not until he was fully back to normal.

No, it wasn't that precisely, Naruto realized. It was the heat that was making him sluggish, a measured decision on her part. With winds there to keep the air moving, the heat was wearing him out before he realized it. _She's actually really good..._

As Naruto considered his options, Kurome managed to dispel two clones - one with a painful kick to the ribs, and the other with a stab of her kunai at the stomach, just as the clone was evading a lava drop from above. Each of his clones moved difficulty, favouring their right side - it seemed that the truth about his condition was out, and Kurome was hurrying to press her assault, trying to target his injuries. Naruto had to twist painfully out of the way of a thrown kunai, and one of the clones miscalculated the distance, evaporating in a cloud of smoke as he touched the smouldering wall of fire and lava.

The kunoichi wasn't doing much better than Naruto was, admittedly; her furious assault against a numerically superior foe left her with bruises and cuts all across her arms and chest. With the fight heating up literally and figuratively, Naruto decided he had to finish everything soon. It was either that, or finding a way to remove the dome entirely, which was not looking terribly plausible right now.

Hiraishin seemed like an obvious choice for an escape route, but Naruto didn't want to give his opponent any freedom of movement, and jumping outside would leave her hidden from everyone's eyes, even if for a few seconds. Konoha really didn't need a full blown eruption of a volcano inside the village walls - and _this _opponent was exactly as crazy of a person to use some spectacularly suicidal Jutsu to finish the day when her last shot at her prize was taken from her.

Kurome faltered, and she failed to block Naruto's kick from below, falling backwards from the blow. Before her back even touched the pavement, she fell back to her kekkei genkai once again. This time, a trio of clones matched the wave of lava with a blast of their wind jutsu, swatting the superheated liquid to the side, into the dome. In raw chakra capacity, Naruto knew he still overpowered her by a huge margin - even without Kurama's presence.

"It is over," Naruto pointed out, completely serious. "It has been a good fight, but I'm going to finish it."

Kurome cursed quietly and started through a complex array of hand seals. Clones jumped into action, sending several quick, weak _Suiton: Teppoudama_ attacks at Kurome, and as she evaded the water, it crashed into the side of the dome with a loud hiss, releasing a cloud of heated steam that distracted her just enough for yet another clone to latch onto her leg. _Gotcha!_

Prioritising her jutsu over her own safety, Kurome carried on, but another pair of clones grabbed onto her in an improvised tackle, one jumping on her back like a backpack and pulling her hands backwards, legs weaving around her waist. Another simply hugged her from the front, getting in her way. She was immobilized - and she yelled in frustration as she attempted to force the clones away.

Naruto called forth a _Rasengan _and pushed forward - he wasn't entirely sure of the jutsu she was trying to use, but he didn't want to let her finish, just in case it was something terrible. With desperation shining on Kurome's face, he expected it to be a last resort type of a deal, and letting enemy shinobi hit him with one of these would be a bad idea.

As she struggled to get out the grasp of his clones, Naruto hit the whole bunch at the same time. The Rasengan bit into his own clone, went through the tiny wisps of smoke and crashed right into the middle of Kurome's chest. It was a perfect hit, propelling the kunoichi towards the side of her dome, crashing right through the hardened and hissing fresh rock. Just as he had _planned_. She flopped once, twice, across the floor before she came to a stop. The second she did, Naruto dispelled his remaining three clones and used the _Hiraishin_ - a good choice, because the very next second the whole lava dome collapsed onto the ground, the chakra that maintained it suddenly gone.

_I actually did it! _Naruto smiled as he glanced around the ruins of the nearby street, darkened clouds of steam obscuring the buildings and the village wall. Even with all the steam, Naruto revelled in the coolness of the night - the sudden shift in temperature even had him going dizzy for a spell. His white cloak - surprisingly unharmed, fluttered lightly behind him. Naruto, however, only had eyes for a half-burned kunoichi that he had at last taken down.

He leaned towards her curiously - had he gone overboard? She groaned a little, but did not move, her chakra spent. The fading steam revealed nearby figures of ANBU staring at him. "It's over," he announced for their benefit. "She's done."

There were no more sounds of battles being fought, and that meant that the other shinobi was also taken care off. Jiraiya had finished him off at some point, he reckoned. Good.

"Like... hell it's done," Kurome whispered suddenly as her eyes opened, a painful smirk forming on her lips. She continued in a quiet whisper, so quiet that Naruto had to lean even closer, her lips almost touching his ear - if he did not know she was utterly spent, he'd never have dared it. "You might have beaten me, Yellow Flash... but your village will _burn_."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "What did you do?"

She twitched, a shudder travelling throughout all of her body, teeth clattering in a painful spasm. "You might have escaped your fate, but everyone else will be gone - including your _spawn_."

His spawn - Naruto jerked up, eyes wide. _They're going after the other Naruto!_ There was a strong, but extremely short chakra spike in the direction of the Hospital complex and Naruto turned in that direction, his knuckles turning white around his kunai as panic and hatred fought for his attention. _They're going for the other _me!

* * *

"Hey, kid - " Jiraiya said, but in that instant the boy's eyes seemed to erupt with a kind of ferocity that took his breath away in response to whatever the woman whispered to him. Then he was gone with a rush of air, disappearing with his _Hiraishin. _

Well, that was rude.

"Jiraiya-sama!" one of the ANBU said urgently, and he turned slightly.

"Huh? Oh, right - you can take these fools in. Though, you'll need a bucket for my guy. You'll find him - strewn across a few buildings." He looked around with distaste, considering the inevitability of fighting a _Bakuton _user, and him using a suicide jutsu that just had to involve blowing himself up. "...By the way, you took your sweet time to get here."

"Our apologies. After the Kyuubi's attack -"

"I know, I know - I shouldn't complain." Jiraiya sighed. "We'd better get things back up and running soon, because if this keeps happening, we're gonna lose people. People who we can't afford to miss." He nodded to himself, staring after the direction that the boy had gone - the boy that he had convinced to take on Minato's role.

The last heated slab of lava fell harmlessly on the ground, and Jiraiya crouched at the woman's side to feel her pulse; weak and irregular, but she might yet pull through. He lingered there for good half a minute, then flexed his fingers and retracted the hand.

On his very first day - no, hour - _Naruto _had defeated someone that had to be an A-rank kunoichi, the daughter of the Tsuchikage - and doubtlessly convinced the ANBU that the rumours about his frailty were inaccurate at best. This meant that this newly arrived Naruto would be expected to take on his role as commander a _lot _sooner than Jiraiya had intended. When would he have a chance to train the boy, if he flew into things without a proper plan?

The plan was insane, really. Jiraiya knew it was. But he also knew that he had to trust his newfound student, this protégé he had never trained, that he had never even _met_. He knew that the boy was not lying, that he had spoken the truth from the very beginning. Clear as day, the Summoning Scroll that was entrusted to his keeping had _changed _in front of his very eyes on the day of the attack_. _A new name had joined the list, blood bubbling up from within the paper in the shape of a name. _Uzumaki Naruto. _The only person who could have let the boy sign that scroll - was him.

Beyond the silliness and the slightly dimwitted act that Naruto sometimes seemed to prefer, there was someone else - someone _more_. There was a deadly serious side that could be glimpsed in his eyes, eyes that he had only seen in the face of his own mentor, and in that of his student. He had seen it when they considered the fate of the whole village, forgetting even the slightest consideration of their own safety. He might not have been Hokage yet, but Jiraiya could see that this boy had everything he needed to make the role his own. To work for the village, just as the village would work for him.

Perhaps, in time, the ruse could be destroyed. Minato's death could be faked - just as his survival had been - and he could be put to a final rest. The Hokage's mysterious student would have to make appearances, perhaps as a family member even, so that Naruto could one day take over the seat under his own name. Not soon, and perhaps never - but sacrifices had to be made, and it was a shinobi's nature to endure. Even if it would be under a false name, Jiraiya was sure that this Naruto could take it - because he had _those _eyes, the ones that Jiraiya had never truly possessed, however much he cared for the village.

He had that lauded, cursed, Will of Fire.

_Godspeed, boy. Godspeed._

In the distance, a flash of light lit up the night sky.

* * *

Slowly pacing the length of the hospital's corridors, Orochimaru considered the situation of the village with curiosity, and a tinge of surprise. The stories of the Kyuubi's attack had been as interesting as they were gruesome, and he had seen some of the damage with his own eyes. The lower parts of the hospital were filled to overflowing, which was no surprise, but these upper rooms had been emptied due to security concerns. Right now, however, that was a liability.

The beast - Orochimaru kept returning to that creature, and the terrible nature of it. He knew of the Bijuu, and he also knew that they could not be killed, not truly. Certainly not by a simple man, however powerful he might be; only the First Hokage could lay claim to such might, or the Sage of the Six Paths himself. The Fourth Hokage, however great his prowess in battle, had not yet reached those remarkable heights. He would likely even agree with that assessment.

If Minato had not killed it, then the obvious conclusion was that he had sealed it, as had been done so often in the past of the villages, ever since the days of the clan wars. But the Nine-Tails could never be trapped in an inanimate object, as the lesser demons could, its power was far too vast for that. Which left only one possibility.

A Jinchuuriki.

The disturbing notion became ever more likely as Orochimaru considered the disturbing chakra that still clung to many parts of the village, slowly evaporating into nothingness. The Kyuubi's stench still hung over the destroyed forests, the great new clearing where the beast had last been seen - where it had to have been sealed away. Minato himself was covered in it, utterly run through with it, though he seemed to handle the side-effects with barely a grimace. He had lived through the worst of it - and it had marked him.

Had the Fourth sealed the creature within himself? Had he taken the power of a mighty demon, and locked it within his own chakra system? Could his body be fighting the changes, thereby explaining his weakness... Perhaps that was the reason he had such degenerate chakra in his system. Maybe, but it felt like the chakra was fading, just as it was in the village, and it would surely have stayed stronger nearest to the creature's holding place.

The Bijuu's escape, of course, was another problem entirely. Orochimaru had been briefly interested in the power of the Kyuubi, some years before. As far as he had learned from Jiraiya at the time, Uzumaki Kushina's seal had been as stable as was possible. What had caused the release of such power, so carefully locked away?

These questions, of course, would have to wait until matters calmed down, though there would surely be many interesting avenues of study in the wake of this tragedy. Certainly there would be vulnerable subjects available to him. Ones that would not be missed. That matter would have to be considered at a later time, because unlike his sentimental teacher, Minato could be terribly cruel if he wished to be.

In fact, Orochimaru had to admit that he was mildly surprised at Minato's courteous greeting, given that he had frequently been looked at with clear worry or suspicion by those same eyes. Those emotions were still there, of course - he would expect no less from the Hokage, but there had been a veneer of cautious optimism; perhaps it had in fact been genuine. It was - _interesting. _

Given only very simple orders, Orochimaru used the chance to take another look at the Hospital that he had left behind years ago, when his experiments had run their course, and there was no more to do there without arousing suspicion. With his summons taking care of the possible routes into the hospital, Orochimaru himself chose to take a stroll inside, perhaps foolishly hoping to gather some clues as to the events of the past few days. Of course, setting up a trap at the former Hokage's location to catch assassins would prove a valuable opportunity for investigation.

Quite spontaneously, Orochimaru halted as he heard something off - a muffled step, a stifled breath. A hidden presence, its chakra barely any more than a whisper - but it was there, and the Snake-Sannin smiled thinly as a viper trailed down his arm, its dark undulations scarcely visible in the shadows.

There were two of them, spread out on different ends of the long hallway. They were evidently confident that they could evade detection, and were doing an admirable job of it - certainly it was unlikely that regular ANBU would have found such minor signatures. But he was no ANBU.

Without a sound, Orochimaru slipped closer, his form melting into the shadows without even the slightest handsign, his serpent summons spreading themselves around the hall, lying in wait. He did not have to wait long for the first blow.

To his immense disappointment, Orochimaru had managed to take the first nin by complete surprise - the man didn't even put up a fight. His viper summon's venomous teeth embedded themselves solidly into the man's oesophagus, cutting off his air supply and his ability to cry for help - before the potent venom ruptured half a dozen vital arteries within half a second, and his eyes rolled up. The man was dead before he could even teeter over, and Orochimaru easily caught the body.

_Utterly worthless, this one_. _I do not need to preserve him._

However boring the shinobi was, the contents of his pouch were much less so. The entire thing was filled with explosive tags. That fact in itself wouldn't have been of any importance, but it appeared that these tags were of a new design, and a volatile one. The Iwa Explosion Corps had clearly not stagnated after the war ended. That was impressive - and it was helpful to get a general idea of their readiness for future activities in that country.

Quickly sealing up the bag and swallowing the small scroll for later study, Orochimaru continued forward towards his next target, his new prey, and his narrow pupils shone with all the excitement of a snake posed for a final strike. There were tags littered in his path, like those in the bag he had taken. All of them inactive, thankfully.

Right that moment, the second nin glanced up - and froze. Whether or not he had sensed the new chakra of Orochimaru or his summons, or had detected the demise of his fellow - it made no difference. Perhaps Orochimaru had allowed a drop of Killing Intent to slip by him - it would not be the first time.

The Iwa nin didn't run, nor did he hide. Instead, he spiked his chakra for the briefest of moments with a satisfied smile, and around Orochimaru all the tags lit up, gleaming clearly on the walls as the first flickers of their detonation appeared on their rim. They were the slow-burn type - which meant trouble.

Orochimaru barely had time to grimly note that though he could escape unharmed, the village had just lost at least half of the hospital if not more, and hundreds would die in the next few seconds. As he considered this terrible reality, the enemy charged him head-first - _suicidal_. He intended on taking one of the _Sannin _with him, no doubt, into the next world.

"Fool." Orochimaru slammed the man into a wall with only the slightest effort, breaking the man's arm, and with a quick push he planted a couple of the man's own tags onto his chest. "Disarm all of them, and I won't kill you in a most unpleasant way." he offered pleasantly. "Your choice."

Reluctantly, the man raised his hands, and the tags flickered.

* * *

Naruto hardly remembered when his thoughts had raced as much as this. Kurome had been a dangerous opponent, but her words had bit down deep, causing a terrible fear inside of him. _Your spawn_, she had said - Iwa had found out about the little Naruto, somehow. Perhaps they even knew he was a jinchuuriki. The entire fight outside, it was all - a _distraction_.

The enemy had specifically picked out Jiraiya and started a fight, hoping to either draw the Fourth out, or find proof of his death. They had no chance in long term, not against the full might of Konoha, but they could keep their chosen enemy busy, content in the knowledge that their sacrifice would allow the mission to succeed.

Kurome had barely even finished her last words, when Naruto sought for the connection to his Hiraishin seal in the hospital. Without the power of the bijuu to bolster his chakra reserves, Naruto was not sure that the amount he poured into the technique would give him any extra time to spare, but he did choose to throw as much as he could spare into the move, just in case.

The disorienting sensation started the second he pulled himself to the seal. Had he won half a second? Two? He couldn't allow a mistake - he had to find the enemy quickly, hopefully before their plan was a success. _I can still sense little Naruto... Thank heaven for that!_

The doors to the children ward were closed as Naruto appeared besides them, and Namiashi Raidou, one of the Hokage's personal bodyguards guarding the little Naruto, was slowly bleeding from a head wound, lying unconscious on the floor. _He will have to live with another scar..._

There was the heady feeling of chakra being used nearby, doubtlessly the chakra spike he had felt a moment earlier. He had only gained about half a second, then, if that. If Naruto had any more time, he would have cursed - he had wasted too much chakra, and he still didn't know what the danger was.

Then - he saw an explosive tag. There were more - tens of them, along the whole corridor. They were already activated. Naruto grasped onto the scraps of Natural Energy he could gather, out of pure panic - he had to know just where everything was. It wasn't a full on Sage Mode in such a short time, just a taste for the natural energy to act as an impromptu sensor. _There_. For the briefest of moments, Naruto saw _everything_.

Namiashi Raidou was stable. One intruder was dead. Another was fighting a desperate battle just a few turns away - with none other than Orochimaru. Probably an earth clone. There were fifty seven lit explosive tags scattered in the vicinity, all of them activated. The little Naruto was crying. All of the other orphans were wide awake. He needed help - a lot of help. Before the pulse faded out, Naruto had his hands in a clone seal, determination clear in his voice as he barked out: "_Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!"

He had expected more clones than he could fill in the corridor, so he was surprised to note there was barely more than a hundred. Still, it would have to be enough. He felt his legs twitch under the strain - he was overdoing it entirely too much for his already weak body. He'd have to deal with it later. The clones knew what to do, and just where exactly the exploding tags were. Now, it was but a matter of time and pure speed.

Naruto sent a couple of clones to guard his little self, and found himself in a desperate race too; there were a couple of notes that wouldn't be reached without risking a clone popping, and that would waste precious time. A clone was clearing him a way right through three different hospital wards, past confused patients, crashing through reinforced wood wall with a liberal use of _Rasengan_. They probably recognized their Hokage, but he was gone before they could react.

As he scooted around the corner, Naruto grabbed one of the precariously placed explosive tags, and his hands were seared by half a dozen flash tags that went off right next to his fingers. He was sure that all his clones were gathering their own tags, and now they all had to get rid of them - and quickly.

* * *

Orochimaru hissed as the enemy shinobi raised his fingers, and a burst of chakra flared on the end of them - and dozens more tags burst alight with renewed fire, ready to explode. The man smiled dementedly - then his eyes widened.

Suddenly, there were men rushing around them - dozens of identical men with bright blond hair and long white cloaks, each of them rushing in and away before they could even fully process the swift movement. One of them, even darted between them and snatched the explosive notes on Iwa nin's stomach before bursting away.

All the commotion took a matter of seconds, but the last Minato past them had his gaze linger, and Orochimaru could only stare at the man - with those whisker-marks and a half-bandaged face, the Fourth still managed to look menacing, his eyes more hateful than he could ever remembering seeing them, except in the war.

With his usefulness spent, Orochimaru broke the neck of the Iwa nin, dropping him on the ground without a second glance. The horde of clones had come from the direction of the children's ward. Why there, when there was certainly no easy entrance to that part of the building, given how deeply entrenched it was. _Hiraishin, _perhaps? But why _there_?

As overhead explosions shook the building, Orochimaru calmly strolled past an injured Namiashi Raidou. Posted not to guard the Hokage, but rather all the little children, which was just _odd_. He pushed open the door to see four of Minato's clones, seeming more distressed than he had ever seen the Fourth in his whole life, carefully tending to a whole bunch of crying children.

There was a single one of them that made Orochimaru stop and marvel, however. One of the clones held a child tightly to his chest, whispering something into the bundle's ears. A child with a thin layer of very familiar hair, and on each cheek, there were three whisker-marks.

* * *

Naruto used _Shunshin no Jutsu_ to dash past Orochimaru, who held a bloody Iwa nin at his throat. He silently cursed the fact that a Hiraishin with clones running about was still out his reach. He created yet another clone as he crashed right out of one of the upper floor windows. The clone appeared crouched on the real Naruto's shoulders, and snatched the explosive tag, jumping upwards with all his strength as the real him plummeted towards the ground. Around him, dozens of clones launched themselves upwards as well, streams of fire following them as their tags ignited fully.

Naruto slid just past the nearest wall, uncontrollably flailing around for a shortest of moments, before barely managing to latch on with chakra to push off just afterwards, trying to balance himself. The first explosion sounded before he even touched the ground. The light of _that _explosion didn't blind him. The next fifty-six simultaneous flashes _did_. Then, there was the thudding shockwave immediately afterwards, which pushed him off the wall entirely.

Naruto, instead of landing properly, slid awkwardly on the uneven pavement, fumbled a step and crashed painfully into something wooden - must have been a tree, since he heard it cracking and crashing onto the ground. His stitches tore open from the impact and Naruto groaned in pain. He could taste blood in his mouth, already. "That can't be good," he mumbled quietly. "_Ow_."

He didn't know how long he just lingered there, hanging from a tree; a couple of seconds, maybe longer. Naruto tore open his aching eyes, but all he saw was a strangely colorful swirl - and to top it off, he was half-deaf, with the weak sounds of a village-wide alert pushing through, sounding garbled and far away. Somehow, Naruto managed to rub at his eyes, and the world slowly shook back into focus. He was now lying right next to the fallen tree, somewhere along one of the pathways towards the hospital - and the hospital itself was still standing, even if the roof seemed to be smoking.

Naruto tried to get up, and though his body protested, he still managed to step onto the ground, his knees weak. He took a shambling step forward. Tripped. Fell. To his shock, someone was there to catch him. A child. A young, dark-haired kid, probably one who hadn't even dreamt about the academy yet. He was unusually strong, supporting a grown man - even though he lacked height to do it properly - and totally quiet. Naruto met his intrigued eyes, and found a surprisingly mature gaze looking back.

He chuckled despite himself, coughing up something that tasted like rotten eggs and blood. "You shouldn't be here. It's dangerous," he chided weakly, becoming eerily aware that there were other civilians surrounding them now, some of them talking worriedly amongst themselves. "I think there's still one enemy-" Naruto's sentence trailed off as he realized what he was seeing - as he recognized the boy that was holding at his side.

He knew just where he had seen these eyes, even if they were not the dangerous blood-red that he remembered.

"Uchiha... Itachi?"

* * *

**A/N:**

As always, **Roarian** was a huge help to make this chapter happen. In fact, he helped rewrite both Orochimaru scenes, and basically wrote the Jiraya one himself. So, the usual, _"more than 33% is his"_ thing. Roarian - keep being awesome.

On that note, as you are reading this, Roarian should have updated the story he is writing himself - **The Leaf's Naruto. ** It can be found via his (Morta's Priest) profile, or through my favourites, or by those who know what to do with a story id number - **8264234**.

I cannot confirm nor deny that the endings of the chapters are in some way, similar, nor that it is not a coincidence.

Also, in similar rumor filled vein, I heard that I own a whole channel 'Nauro'. Curious. Never heard about it getting screen time.


End file.
